Fair is Foul
by River2027
Summary: The Connors infilitrate a summer camp named on the list. While John intends to track down their future ally, he must deal with his deteriorating relationship with Sarah and Derek, who are questioning John's judgment and Cameron's true purpose. Jameron.
1. Some Must Sleep

**Terminator**: the Sarah Connor Chronicles

title: Fair is Foul

author: River2027

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Terminator. If I did, we would definitely get a season 3.

setting: after "to be or not to be"

genre: drama/romance/action

rating: T

warning: "Wherefore" threequel/sequel to "To be or not to be" chronologically after "Some Must Watch While Some Must Sleep." Goes majorly AU as of "Ourselves Alone" Spoilers for pretty much the whole season.

summary: The Connors infiltrate a summer camp named on the list. While John intends to track down their future ally, he must deal with the return of Riley and the deteriorating relationship with his mother and uncle, both of whom are questioning John's judgment and Cameron's true purpose. Jameron.

_a/n_: _There's a trailer I posted on YouTube that pretty much gives a good summary. Just look up River2027. For those of you who don't know Shakespeare, this story's title comes from a quote in the play Macbeth (which I just finished reading in school). The contrasting idea quite simply means "nothing is as it seems," which is basically a central theme of this story._

_It's kind of like an alternate Episode 17, so there's bits and pieces of the final six episodes incorporated in this story. Also, for this story, I've kept it more to the Terminator episode theme. There's more action than in the past, hopefully a more intense plotline, but, rest assured, there will still be comedy and of course Jameron. And it's not just John's POV, but seeing through Sarah, Derek, Cameron, Riley, and even Jesse's eyes. I think it should be good, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. :) So, without further ado, here is the hopefully long-awaited threequel!_

**Chapter One: **

**Some Must Sleep**

John Connor hates to sleep.

Sleep brings dreams, nightmares actually. He can't recall a night that has gone by where he hasn't had a nightmare. Sometimes they're memories; recollections of the first time he'd ever seen a Terminator, the day Cromartie had nearly killed him, the horror at seeing a malfunctioning Cameron try to terminate him, and the dozens of close calls afterwards. Sometimes he had nightmares where either his mother or Derek died. Sometimes it was his father, Kyle Reese. Sometimes it was he himself who died and he would wonder how the world would be without him, without John Connor, savior of mankind.

But tonight was different. It was a dream he'd had for the past few nights, each time waking up in a cold sweat, this dream more vivid and frightening than any he'd had in the past. It wasn't a memory, more like a vision of his absolute worst fear coming true.

This was why he hated sleeping. He doesn't think he stand watching her die again.

He sees Cameron, slumped against a bunch of crates, an electrical surge having rebooted her system. Cromartie is there, switchblade in hand. Impossible, of course. Cromartie was dead, his chip had been obliterated, his body was still missing after being dug up from the Mexican desert, but without the chip, he should not be functioning.

Except that he was. And John didn't even care why or how he was alive. All he cared about was Cameron, incapacitated and in the hands of the enemy.

The Terminator delicately slices into Cameron's skull and pulls out her chip. John feels his mother clamp her hand over his mouth, stifling his cry for fear he will give up their hiding spot.

Cromartie holds up the chip, examining it with unblinking eyes. "John Connor," he states in the usual dull monotone. "If you do not reveal yourself, I will crush her chip."

John's eyes widen and he struggles violently against his mother's firm grip. Derek joins in, holding his nephew back. _I have to save her! _He screams inside his mind. His mother and Derek's grips are too strong.

Cromartie waits a moment, scanning the room, waiting for John to appear. Then he brings coltan fingers together, crushing the chip between them. Sarah's hand goes slack with momentary shock, and John wrenches free, screaming with white-hot rage as he grabs the machine gun and charges forward toward Cromartie.

"_You killed her, you killed her!_" he screams. He can't even look at Cameron's body, the body that will never walk again, the mouth that will never speak again, the eyes that will never open again. His heart is breaking and he can't contain the intense pain.

John lets loose with the machine gun, bullets embedding into Cromartie's coltan endoskeleton. The Triple 8 doesn't even flinch, but John doesn't care. Much as he wanted Cameron's murderer to pay, such a thought was impossible. John Connor wasn't walking away from this fight.

He was counting on that.

Cromartie takes one stride forward and grabs John by the neck, red eyes blazing. John releases his grip on his gun, hears it clatter to the ground, feels the tears start streaming down his face, not from the physical pain, but the emotional turmoil he can no longer stand. Nothing Cromartie could do would hurt him more than Cameron's death.

"Do it!" he pleads. "Do it, kill me!"

Cromartie cocks his head slightly and John follows his gaze to Cameron's still form. The sight only brings a fresh wave of pain. _I can't do it. I can't live without her. _Sarah and Derek appear to be in a state of shock, afraid to shoot at Cromartie for fear of hitting John.

John stares into the cold, unfeeling, murderous eyes of the Terminator. "Nothing matters anymore," he chokes out. "Kill me!"

The pain of the steel fingers around his neck was nothing compared to the pain that was burning in his heart. Cromartie's hand tightens. John hears a loud _crack_, hears his mother scream his name.

Then, mercifully, he feels nothing at all.

And he wakes up.

John bolted up in bed, panting heavily. He heard footsteps rushing toward his bedroom and assumed that he must have screamed during his nightmare. Sure enough, both Sarah and Cameron entered, both holding guns, scanning for any threats. Both looked worried.

"I'm fine," John said bitterly. "It was just a nightmare."

Sarah cautiously sat down on the bed next to him, placing a hand on his face, but he pushed it away. John briefly glanced up at Cameron, who was staring at him with a worry-stricken face. He quickly cast his eyes downward. He couldn't look at her right now. The vision of her lying on that warehouse floor, unmoving, was still too vivid in his mind.

"What was it about?" Sarah asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," he repeated, purposely keeping his eyes from glancing up at Cameron. His mother would hate it if she knew he was all worked up about the death of a machine. She wouldn't even consider it a death. _She doesn't understand. _He could still see the worry written on his mother's face, and she pursed her lips.

"Okay…" she said slowly. "Well, I'll go make you some pancakes for breakfast."

John suppressed a groan. _More pancakes…_That was the last thing he needed right now. As his mother left, his eyes found Cameron's, seeing the anxiety on her face.

"I'm fine," he whispered softly. "Really."

***********

Sarah scooped two pancakes onto John's plate and set it down in front of him, purposely ignoring Cameron. It wasn't as if the machine needed to eat anyway. John still seemed a bit shaken from his dream, but trying his best not to appear so.

Derek had come into the kitchen once, gritted his teeth when he saw Cameron and John sitting at the table, grabbed a plate and disappeared into the living room, even though Sarah had yelled after him the reminder that they ate at the table.

Somehow, she didn't blame him for ignoring her.

John was merely poking at his food and she was about to remind him that breakfast was the most important meal of the day when Cameron spoke up.

"You need to eat. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

Sarah clenched her jaw tightly. What made it worse was how John actually responded. He smiled slightly and scooted the plate closer to her.

"Fine. You eat one and I eat one, okay?"

Cameron cocked her head in that familiar way. "I don't need to eat."

A small smile crossed John's face. "Come on," he prodded. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

Cameron returned his smile and used a fork to take a bite of her pancake. Sarah wrenched her gaze back to the griddle, flipping over a slightly burnt pancake. John would never have reacted that way if Sarah had been the one to tell him. He may have rolled his eyes, brushed her off, said something like 'we're trying to save the world, who has time for breakfast?' But with _Cameron _telling him the same thing, his reaction was like a polar opposite. When had things gotten like this? What had happened to Riley? Sure, Sarah had loathed the girl, but it had to be better than her son falling for a robot.

John had never really explained, and she'd never really asked. But now, there was only one thing she wanted to know: what had happened in Canada?

She could see how close they'd grown, so quickly. John had gone from tolerating Cameron to wanting her around. Sarah's own recent nightmares still haunted her. John complimenting Cameron's pancake skills, John telling Sarah that she's not Cameron. _I'm being replaced by a machine. _In her nightmare, Cameron had walked past John in her underwear again, drawing John's gaze. Sarah thought they'd cured that habit. But the worst thing about the whole situation was knowing that dreams often had basis in reality. If that could happen in the few days she'd been at the sleep clinic, even if it was only a dream, what had gone on between them when they were hundreds of miles away, alone in Canada for a week?

Because something was definitely going on with John and Cameron. John hadn't said who his nightmare was about. He didn't have to. She'd caught the brief look he'd given Cameron, and the way he avoided looking at her for the rest of the conversation only confirmed Sarah's theory. His traumatic nightmare hadn't been about her or Derek getting killed, or even himself.

It had been about the machine.

**********

Derek Reese left his empty plate in the living room, not wanting to return to the kitchen again. Cameron's presence had always been a sore spot for him, but after meeting Jesse here in the present, and hearing what she had to say, it became all the worse. Cameron was still a machine; still a threat to John. She was going to manipulate him, take over control of the Connor camp, the entire resistance. And from what Derek had seen, she already had a good hold on his nephew. John had been pulled in by her charm, her looks, her _fake _emotions. It had all started with that stupid, ridiculous _Romeo and Juliet _play.

It only served to remind him how much he had really _hated _English class.

He pointed a flashlight at the wall in their basement, the wall with the names written in blood. He had to get them moving again. Maybe a mission would keep John's mind off of Cameron. And maybe give Derek a chance to concoct a plan that would keep Cameron out of the equation for good.

He re-entered the house, walking into the kitchen where Sarah was washing the pancake griddle. John and Cameron were still sitting at the table, an empty plate sitting between them. Derek tried to keep the disgust off his face. Had John been _sharing _his breakfast with the machine? How much more twisted could he get?

Sarah hardly looked up when he entered. He hoped she wasn't still mad about him not eating at the table.

"I've got something to show you," he announced. Sarah stopped washing and turned around. Both John and Cameron glanced up at him expectantly. "A name," Derek continued. "On the wall," he added unnecessarily.

Sarah dropped her sponge and turned off the water, abruptly walking towards the basement.

_She must be as eager as I am to get John distracted by a mission, _he thought. He smiled. Good to know he wasn't alone in this.

***********

Derek pointed a flashlight at the list of names written in blood. "I figured it's time to start focusing again," he said. "Check this out."

John stared at the wall, following Derek's flashlight beam, looking below GREENWAY, below P. ALTO, SHERMAN, and ALPINE FIELDS. Written towards the bottom of the wall was a single word: JABEZ.

John's eyes snapped up to meet his mother's but he saw no recognition there. "What the heck is Jabez?" he questioned. "Is that a name? A place? Derek, do you know? From the future, maybe?"

Derek shook his head. "Never heard of it."

"Jabez was a man in the Bible," Cameron spoke up softly.

"I was right," Sarah said wryly. "You do memorize everything."

"He was a man of prayer," Cameron started to explain.

Derek snorted in disgust. "Thanks metal mouth, but I don't think that fighter's telling us to save some dead guy."

"You're right," Sarah said, frowning. "Jabez has to mean something else."

"Camp," Cameron stated.

John raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What?"

"There's a place called Camp Jabez," Cameron replied. "Summer camp. It's primarily a horse camp, but they have many other activities."

"Summer camp?" John asked skeptically. "So, what does that mean? This camp is being targeted?"

"Or a camper," Sarah agreed. She looked at Cameron. "What else do you know? Where's it located?"

"Approximately forty-six miles from here."

"Convenient," John muttered.

"Before we get too into this," Derek began. "How are we supposed to know what we're looking for? It doesn't say who. It doesn't say when. How do we know when this is supposed to happen?"

"It's summer camp, Derek," John shot back. "I'd assume it'll happen in the summer."

"Cute."

"On a more serious note, I think it's just like Bedell." John tried not to wince remembering his time at Presidio Alto, or rather, the talk he and Derek had afterward. _We all die for you. _He briefly met Cameron's gaze before trying to put all memories of his nightmare out of his head.

"All we had to go on was P. Alto," he continued. "But you recognized Bedell's name. Maybe this is the same thing. Maybe it's a camper and we just have to figure out who."

"We have to get into that camp," Sarah said.

Derek smirked. "Well, John, Tin Can, looks like its time for summer camp for you."

John noticed Cameron press her lips together in what seemed to be hurt or annoyance. Was that a reaction to Derek's "Tin Can" name calling? He blinked again and the look was gone.

John looked back at his uncle. "Campers? You can't be serious."

"I'm always serious," Derek replied coolly.

"Okay, fine. So that takes care of us, but what about you two? I think you're a little old to pass as high school students."

Derek shot Sarah a grin. "Counselors."

_Great, _John thought to himself. _Our new mission involves me being enrolled in a summer camp with my mother and uncle as a counselor. _

He sighed. _This should be fun…_

********

John hovered near the doorway as Cameron's fingers flew over the laptop keyboard, expertly hacking into Camp Jabez's computer database, registering them all for the camp and trying to locate the file with a list of all the campers.

"So," he said aloud, glancing over at his mother. "I've never been to camp before."

Sarah smiled. "It's probably not that different from our camping trips when we lived in South America."

"Not that different?" John asked skeptically. "Solitary confinement, bizarre jungle food, wild animals, Terminators, and guns. Those weren't camping trips, Mom, they were training exercises."

"Okay, yes," she agreed, smiling. "But it's similar. In the great outdoors. You have to pack up just the necessities, eat cafeteria food, sleep in a cabin with a bunch of other kids."

John forced a strained smile. "Gee, sounds like fun."

He really didn't mind. In fact, it might even be fun. The Canada trip had been fun and he'd been surrounded by other students there, too. And he'd had to deal with Cameron and Riley going at each other. He sighed pleasantly. _At least I won't have to worry about _that_ this time_.

Derek came up behind them, his face white with pure terror. John was instantly on high alert. He'd never seen Derek so terrified in his life.

"There's a Kyle Reese on the list," Derek said in a hushed tone.

Sarah's eyes widened and her face paled. "Kyle?!"

_Kyle. _That would definitely justify Derek's fear. His little brother is being targeted while at summer camp. John swallowed hard. _My father…_Hadn't he just seen his father a few months ago? He hadn't looked very old.

"That doesn't make sense," John muttered. "He shouldn't be old enough, unless they have a little kids camp too."

"Don't say anything else," Derek snapped.

John frowned. "Why?"

"Metal."

Sarah stared at Derek in confusion. "Wait…_you_ know?"

"Of course I do," Derek replied, scoffing as if it were obvious. "He's my brother." He jerked a thumb toward Cameron. "Now get her out so we can talk."

John hated having to keep secrets from Cameron, but he slowly nodded. This was too important, the only secret he had that could kill him if the wrong people found out. He hadn't trusted anyone with the knowledge of Kyle Reese's connection to John Connor. "Fine," he grumbled. He led Cameron off to the side. "Cam, could you give us a few minutes alone?"

"Alone?" she repeated, as if such a thought were absurd. "I cannot leave you alone, John."

"I know, I know, you have to protect me," he finished.

"Not just that."

John frowned. "What?"

"I don't _want _to leave you." She seemed hesitant, still not comprehending the feelings the two of them had expressed during their recent field trip to Canada.

John smiled softly. "It's just for a few minutes. And that means no eavesdropping either. This is very important."

"Why do I need to leave?" Cameron asked bluntly. "I know Kyle Reese is your father."

John's eyes widened. "What? You knew? How—when we were treating Derek, you told me you didn't know anything."

"That was before the explosion," she stated calmly. "Some of my memories and functions have been awakened."

John felt an odd sensation. What had his mother told him? _You didn't trust anyone enough to tell them about your father._

He looked over at Sarah, who had heard the entire conversation. Her eyes were filled with shock and worry. John looked back at Cameron.

_I did trust someone. I trusted her. _

Derek's rage was impossible to hide. John wasn't sure if Derek was just angry that John had trusted a machine with that knowledge or if he was mad that Future-John had never told Derek when he'd obviously told Cameron.

His mood darkened. "If they're targeting Kyle, my father, then…they know." His voice trailed off and he stared up at his mother and uncle, a bit of desperation creeping into his voice. "How could they know?"

Sarah's eyes slowly rose to look up at Cameron. Derek didn't even try to hide his disdain. "Simple," he said, glowering at Cameron.

"_She _told them."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

(cue Terminator theme music) :) _Let me know what you think!!_


	2. What Happens in Canada

_author's note: Wow, thanks for everyone who has reviewed so far. And for those of you who viewed the trailer, I'm glad you liked it. I had a lot of fun making it. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter too!_

**Chapter Two:**

**What Happens in Canada…**

"She didn't do it," John said forcefully. Cameron wouldn't have betrayed him like that; she wouldn't have told anyone his secret. "She didn't tell them Kyle's my father."

Derek held his nephew's angry gaze. "Then how do they know?"

"They don't." Both of them turned to look at Cameron. "They're just targeting John's soldiers," she explained. "Kyle Reese saves John Connor by breaking him out of Century Work Camp. They don't know that killing Kyle Reese will cause John to cease to exist."

"So what do we do?" Sarah asked worriedly.

"You can't go near him, Sarah," Derek insisted. "He carries around your picture in the future. What will he think if he remembers you from his childhood?"

"You don't want to change the future," John agreed. He suddenly caught himself and reconsidered. "Well, not in that way. And Derek, you can't go near him either. He'd remember you too."

"That leaves you and Cameron to protect him," Sarah stated. Her tone suggested she was less than thrilled with the idea.

"Up close," John agreed, trying to placate his mother. "You two can still help from afar. Just don't let him see you too much."

John looked over at Derek for his uncle's reaction. Instead of holding agreement or even determination, Derek's dark eyes were still glaring at John, filled with distrust and anger. "What?" John demanded.

"You don't understand what you've done," his uncle growled.

John's mouth dropped open and his eyes narrowed. "What I've _done_?"

"You told the metal about my brother!" Derek shouted. "Your father! Kyle!" His eyes sought out Sarah's, burning with fury. "Am I the only one who sees a problem with this?"

John pressed his lips together tightly. Derek didn't understand what had happened with Cameron. She _wouldn't _tell anyone. She _loved _him; she would never betray him.

"So I trusted her!" he spat out. "Step off, Derek!"

Derek did just the opposite, taking a few steps closer to John, eyes blazing. "Do you know what would happen if she goes rogue?"

John clenched his jaw. "She won't," he insisted strongly.

"She's a machine, John," Derek shot back. "It's happened once already."

John could feel the heat of his own anger start to surface. "Don't even go there," he warned. The explosion and Cameron's reversion hadn't been her fault and they both knew it.

"Or what if Skynet gets a hold of her?" Derek continued. "Gets a hold of her chip? They'll know too. They'll kill Kyle, and they'll get you too. Two birds with one stone. Or in this case, two heroes with one metal spy."

John's eyes narrowed defiantly. "She's not a spy, Derek!"

"Listen to yourself!" Derek protested. "You're being corrupted by her!"

"Why are you blaming me?" John demanded. "_I_ didn't tell her. Future Me did, and he must have had a good reason."

Derek glanced up at Sarah, seeking her support. "Sarah? You can see, can't you? See what she's doing to him?"

John suddenly realized that his mom was hesitating. It wasn't like her. She was usually so quick to jump to his defense. She was his _mother. _It's what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to believe in him. "Mom?"

Sarah looked from John to Derek to Cameron, appearing deflated. "John…I…"

John leaned in closer, begging with his eyes and his words. "Mom, please, listen to me. You can trust me."

Sarah slowly shook her head, looking heartbroken. "No. I can't."

John's mouth opened slightly as the shock set in.

_I can't trust you anymore, John. _

Everything in the room seemed to stop, frozen in time. Nobody moved, nobody spoke. John remained still, trying to process her words. Had he really heard her say that? Was he dreaming this too?

Because his worst nightmare was seeing Cameron die.

His second would be exactly this: having his mother not trust him, doubt him. She'd _always _trusted him. They were a team, a family! How could he continue on like this? His mother, Sarah Connor, no longer trusted his judgment, and she was the one who had always fought for him, for him to become John Connor, the leader. How could he do that if she no longer found him worthy of her trust?

He couldn't stay here anymore. If she doubted him, fine. So be it. At least he still had someone who believed in him. He snatched Cameron's hand and stalked out the door.

********

Sarah felt absolutely horrible. But she would have felt worse if she would have lied to John. What she'd said was true. Right now, she couldn't trust anything he did.

The Connors had always had secrets. Some secrets they had shared, with Cameron, with Derek, with the Dysons. Some secrets _had _to shared. But this one, the secret of John's father, was something they _never _discussed. They never talked to _anyone _about it. It had sent her on high alert when she learned that Derek knew about it. If he knew, who else did? Had he really just figured it out because Kyle was his brother? If she would have had it her way, no one would know. Not even Derek.

This was their most important secret, the one most critical to John's survival. The one he had sworn never to tell. They'd decided that a long time ago. No one could be trusted enough to know it.

But John had betrayed her trust. He'd told the secret. Not only told it, but told to one of _them. _Cameron. The Machine, the Metal. The _enemy. _

So, no, right now she couldn't trust him. His judgment was being clouded by Cameron's presence. And that had started when they'd arrived home from Canada. So, again, her real question was: what had happened in Canada?

Her cell phone rang and she picked it up, still distracted by her thoughts. "Hello?"

"Hello, this is Ms. Darbus," the speaker said. "I'm John's English teacher. He was with our class in Canada."

Sarah raised her eyebrows, suddenly focused intently. Talk about coincidence. Maybe she could get her answers now. "Yes, what can I do for you?"

"I was actually just calling to let you know that we will be sending you a check reimbursing you for part of the Canada trip."

Sarah frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, John and Cameron didn't stay at the hotel with us, so we're refunding that part of your payment…"

Sarah's hand tightened on the phone. "They didn't stay with you?"

"No," Ms. Darbus replied. "They rode home separately. They told me that they had been taken in for questioning."

"Questioning? What for?"

"Regarding the shooting on the bus," Ms. Darbus said, her voice becoming emotional with grief. "Such a horrible affair."

Sarah's eyes widened and she stared at the phone in stunned silence. Finally she brought it back to her ear, clenching it until her knuckles turned white. "Tell me everything…"

*********

John stood in his room, beginning to pack his suitcase for Camp Jabez. Cameron was at his side, helpfully reminding him of several essential items, like a box of thermite and a nine millimeter…

Sarah stormed into the room, followed by a curious Derek. John looked up, seeing a look of absolute anger on his mother's face. Anger…and disappointment.

He scowled. _Why? She's the one who said she didn't trust me. _

"Before we move on, I want to get something straight," Sarah barked. "I want you to tell me exactly what happened in Canada. And on the way home."

John froze in the middle of packing, mind whirling. Did she know something? Was _that _why she was so angry?

"Why?" Cameron spoke up on his behalf.

Sarah seemed to be struggling to contain her anger. "Because I just found out that there was a shootout at the border and that you two didn't ride the bus home."

John cringed. How had she found out? Had the school finally called? He'd told Ms. Darbus their cover story and she'd seemed to accept it without much question. Of course, everyone had been shaken by the incident. Maybe now, his teacher was wondering about the validity of his claim.

"A triple eight showed up," Cameron explained. "I terminated it. We had to steal a jeep and drive home."

"All night long?" Derek asked, stepping into the argument, on Sarah's side, of course. "Cuz the bus showed up when you did, and they stopped for the night."

"Yes," Cameron stated. "We stopped."

One glance at his mother told John that she wasn't giving up. Sarah Connor knew Cameron was being vague on purpose; that she was hiding something. For John. "Where?"

"What does it matter?" John cut in. "It was just a motel."

But Sarah wasn't finished with the interrogation, yet, despite John's desperate hope. She forced an icy glare at Cameron.

"Where were you when John was sleeping?" she demanded.

John winced. The only way his mother would ask such a question is because she already knew, or at least suspected, the incriminating answer.

Cameron's face betrayed nothing. "Standing guard," she replied.

Derek snorted in disgust. "That's a lie. I can tell."

"I don't have a tell," Cameron stated.

"John's face does."

John flushed in annoyance. "Nothing happened, alright? Just leave her alone!"

Sarah turned on him. "John, this is serious. Now do you understand why I don't trust you? First you don't tell me about the triple 8, then you lie about riding the bus, and now I find out that you and Tin Miss actually stayed at a hotel for a night. Where'd you get the money?"

"We didn't," John muttered.

Cameron nodded emphatically. "Most people don't realize how easy it is to steal a room."

Derek ground his teeth together. "What happened in the room?"

Cameron looked to John, seeking permission to talk. He refused to look at her. It didn't matter what he said. He'd told her 'what happens in Canada stays in Canada', but Derek and Sarah would demand the truth anyhow. It may as well be blunt.

"I was guarding the room but John said he couldn't sleep with me standing there. There was only one bed."

Derek snapped into motion, grabbing his pistol and shoving Cameron up against the wall, pressing the gun under her chin with deadly intent. "I'll kill you myself…" he hissed.

"You can't kill me," Cameron replied calmly.

"I can _try_," Derek snarled.

"Derek, let her go!" John demanded. "You know that won't do any good anyhow."

"No, John," Derek replied. "I'm through talking about this. The machine's gotta go. She can't be trusted."

John finally couldn't take anymore. He slammed his fist down onto the table, making both Derek and his mother flinch. "You don't know _any_thing!" he hissed.

Derek stared at him, startled, lowering his gun and taking a few steps away from Cameron. John's face was deadly serious as he gestured to Cameron.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said, sending an angry glare in Sarah and Derek's direction before he turned and followed his Terminator protector out the door.

************

He wasn't sure why he'd come here.

Sure, they could use some snacks to eat at camp, but John knew that wasn't his real motivation for going to the grocery store. He'd just needed to get away. Away from Derek and Sarah.

In his heart, he'd known this would happen. While in Canada, he'd realized they wouldn't just roll over and surrender their beliefs. They wouldn't just accept the fact that he cared for Cameron. He'd been prepared to defend his actions.

What was the use now? His own mother didn't even trust him. That hurt him more deeply than anything else she could have said.

He shoved the grocery cart mechanically down the next aisle, vaguely aware of Cameron sticking a bag of Cheetos inside.

"It's the crunchy kind," she informed him.

_Get me some of those cheese things, the crunchy kind, not the puffy ones. _He supposed he should have been touched that Cameron had remembered, but the comment barely registered; he glanced at the bag only briefly.

Cameron cocked her head, studying his behavior. "You're upset."

"They don't understand," John mumbled. "They don't trust you. Or me."

"It hurts you."

John swallowed hard. "Yeah. Look at me. The future leader of the world, and even my own mother doesn't trust me anymore. None of them. Not her, not Derek..."

Cameron cast her eyes downward. "It's my fault."

"What?"

"I'm the reason they don't trust you. They think you have made a judgment error in trusting me."

John sighed, knowing it was true. "I guess they do."

"How can I change that?"

John smiled sadly. "I'm not sure you can," he admitted reluctantly. "They don't trust easy to begin with. And they especially don't trust any machines, no matter who you are. To them, all machines are evil. They can't accept the fact that sometimes…they're wrong."

"Are they?"

John glanced up, frowning. "What do you mean? Of course they are."

"How do you know?"

_Where is this coming from? _"You're different," he reminded her. "You told me."

Cameron cocked her head. "If you can't argue your point how are you going to win it?"

John finally realized what she was doing. She was testing him, preparing him. "You want me to be able to defend you."

"Some of your soldiers can't understand why you trust us," Cameron responded. "We're the enemy."

"Not all of you," John replied stubbornly.

"How do you tell them that?"

"It's just like with any species," he began. "Good and evil exists anywhere. Some humans are bad, some are good. Some cats make good pets, some would rather rip your head off. And some of you are good, and some are bad."

"But we're machines," Cameron reminded him. "We're programmed. Doesn't that make us different?"

"No," John said adamantly. "Because you can think for yourself. You can choose to be good or bad. You can feel."

"But we can't feel emotions."

His jaw clenched. "You and I both know that's not true."

He held her gaze for a minute before she gave him a small smile. "Good." John felt his body relax. He must have passed her test. "You're ahead of schedule."

"With what?"

"What you need to learn."

That was it, then. She was here to protect him, but also to prepare him for the future, prepare him for what he'd have to face. If he was going to become General Connor, he needed to be convincing, to be able to change people's minds.

He needed to be strong, determined, fearless, and commanding. But more than anything, he couldn't do this on his own.

He needed her.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________


	3. Even Heroes Fall

_author's note: Hey, I'm glad you all are enjoying the story so far. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I will be posting new chapters weekly, every Friday._

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Chapter Three:

Even Heroes Fall

Derek shoved his suitcase into the truck, slamming the door behind him. This whole trip was turning out to be his worst nightmare. Spending summer camp as John and the machine's _counselor. _He'd thought a new mission would help distance his nephew and the cyborg, but at a camp, he had a feeling their bond would grow stronger than ever.

Unless he could stop it. Somehow.

He walked back into the house, hearing Sarah talking with John and Cameron in the hallway.

"What about tin-miss?" Sarah asked.

"I don't sleep," Cameron replied.

"I know," Sarah said. "You've told me. I meant what are you going to do at night? Hang out in John's room again?"

Derek could hear the bitterness and hostility in Sarah's voice, but Cameron didn't react to it. "I'll make sure the perimeter is secure," the machine replied. "Keep watch over John. Look for threats."

_Threats. _"Like yourself?" Derek scoffed.

Cameron turned and stared at him. "John has no threat from me. I was sent back to protect him."

Derek chuckled humorlessly. "So you said. But I think we all know that you lie."

John stood up angrily. "Leave her alone, Derek."

Derek smiled bitterly. It was always so…twisted to hear John refer to the walking computer in such human terms. "Her," he laughed. "What a joke."

John didn't find it funny at all. He held his uncle's stare and Derek soon glanced away, disgusted at how adamantly John continued to defend the machine. What was it Jesse had warned him about?

_He wasn't talking to anyone anymore, just her. She's taken over. It's sick is what it is. Imagine what will happen if he spends the next twenty years with her. Imagine what he'll become, what she'll turn him into. I'm here to stop her. I'm here to save him. _

Derek had noticed the same thing as of late. It had gotten worse after that ridiculous Romeo and Juliet play and had only compounded his fears when John and the machine were out of sight for nearly a week in Canada, especially with the newfound information about what took place in that hotel room. His fists clenched involuntarily.

Things had been great before that. John had a real girlfriend; he had been treating Cameron more and more like a machine. It was _good. _Healthy, even. His nephew had been on the road to recovery…until Romeo had realized he didn't love Rosaline, he loved the beautiful, dangerous, unattainable Juliet. A romance doomed from the start, a forbidden love. A love that got both of them killed. It would happen to John and Cameron, too, all because of one single moment where everything had gone spiraling out of control.

His worst fears had come true. Something had happened that had pulled them back together.

And Derek didn't like it one bit.

**********

"This can't go on, Sarah," Derek said sullenly. "You see what's she's turning him into? You know as well as I do that they're twisted."

Oh, she knew all right. Twisted, sick, manipulative…she wasn't disagreeing with him on any account. But knowing Derek, his plan of getting John away from Cameron probably involved the cyborg's immediate termination. "So what do you suggest?"

"A gun," Derek said simply. "And thermite."

Sarah shook her head quickly. "You can't just kill her."

"It's not as hard as you think," Derek explained. "One shot to the chip, they don't get up."

"You can't make that decision," Sarah replied. If anyone was going to make the decision to kill Cameron, it had to be John. He'd have to choose it for himself.

Derek seemed surprised by her response. "What?"

Sarah shook her head. "You don't understand. You don't know how many times I've considered waiting for her with a sniper rifle, how many times I've come close to rigging that front door to the electricity."

"So what's stopping you?"

_My son... _"If we kill Cameron…" her voice broke and she swallowed hard. "I'll lose him. I'll lose John forever. He'll never forgive me. I'll lose him."

Derek was quiet for a moment. "So Cameron is off-limits..."

He didn't seem quite as upset as she would have imagined. Which probably just meant he had a backup plan.

Sure enough, he grinned. "Then I'll just have to think of something else."

***********

Derek hesitantly knocked on Jesse's apartment door. His AWOL girlfriend opened it promptly, not seeming surprised to see him.

"Derek," she said simply. "How's Connor?"

Derek hesitated. _Still with the metal, if that's what you're asking. _"I've been thinking."

Jesse cocked an eyebrow curiously. "About what?"

"About what you said, about saving John," Derek stated. He drew in a deep breath. "I'm here to help."

Jesse smiled and he had a feeling she always expected him to come around to her way of thinking. "Where is he?"

"We're going to Camp Jabez, trying to protect a Skynet target," Derek explained. "He'll be there. With her."

"I think I can change that," Jesse said. "I already have someone in place, someone who can toy with his emotions. Someone whose job it is to keep John from getting closer to _her_."

Derek frowned. "Who, Blondie?"

"Riley. Riley Dawson," Jesse corrected. "She may have failed the first few times, but I have some faith in her. If anyone can sway John, she can."

It was true, Derek knew. Riley had been John's first girlfriend, until their break-up which had to have happened in Canada. Still, Derek had seen that John enjoyed spending time with Riley. They'd been friends at the very least.

Derek shifted his weight. "What do you want me to do?"

"I'll send Riley to camp so she can get to John," Jesse explained. "How are you getting in?"

"Counselor."

A slow smile spread across Jesse's face. "Perfect. You can influence events, Derek. I'll be there too, in the background, but you, as a counselor, can ensure that John spends minimal amount of time with _it_."

Derek nodded, but he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Why? Why did this feel like he was betraying John? Because he wasn't letting John make his own choices?

If John found out that Derek was manipulating events because he didn't trust John to do the right thing… he knew what would happen.

John would lose his trust in Derek too.

Derek hesitated… but saw Cameron's manipulative face in his mind and his face darkened once more. Yes, maybe John would never trust him again.

Maybe that was a risk he was willing to take.

**********

Riley felt incredibly nervous entering Jesse's apartment again. The last time she'd been here, she had not received a warm welcome. Quite the contrary, she'd been given a hard slap and a strict lecture about finishing her job. This time, however, she'd been summoned by Jesse, and she wasn't looking forward to reporting her failure in Canada.

Sure enough, Jesse looked absolutely infuriated when Riley entered. "You've failed."

Riley took a deep breath, trying to gather the courage to explain. "I'm sorry. I…I don't know what happened."

"What happened was instead of allowing John Connor to fall for you, you all but pushed him towards _her_."

Riley flinched at Jesse's harsh tone. "I didn't mean to." She hadn't really had much of a choice in Canada. She'd seen how John and Cameron had acted around each other, she'd seen the looks John gave Cameron even when he was supposed to be focused on his real girlfriend. She'd finally given up, bowed out gracefully, allowed Cameron to step in and have John…because deep down, it was what John had wanted all along.

"I just got…I got upset and confused…" Riley sputtered. "He doesn't love me! I can't help that!"

"You're not finished here," Jesse said coldly.

Riley shook her head desperately. She'd never wanted out as badly as she did now. She couldn't keep pretending. "I can't do this anymore. He loves her."

Jesse took a single step forward and struck Riley across the face. "Listen to me!" she demanded. "You cannot fail. If you fail, the machines take control of the future, _she _is in control of the resistance."

Riley bit her lip, trying to keep her emotions in check. The sting of Jesse's words and hand both overwhelmed her.

"Now," Jesse finished sternly. "John and the machine are going to a summer camp on an undercover mission. I'm sending you too. You have to go back there and finish your job. Keep John Connor away from _her._"

Riley had heard the order so many times, and now her face flushed with anger. "Maybe I'm making the future happen. Maybe _I'm_ the reason he gets pushed back to Cameron. Maybe it's fated to happen this way. Maybe by trying to change the future, we fulfill it! Maybe it's _your _fault this future happens!"

Jesse's face hardened and Riley flinched, knowing the blow was coming even before Jesse's palm made contact with her face, much harder than before. It was going to leave another bruise, she knew.

Jesse stepped up into Riley's face, furious now with the accusation hanging in the air. "Listen to me. I'm not your friend. I am your commander. You will do as I say. Finish your job. You do that and maybe you can have a real life here in the past."

Riley scoffed. _Some life…No family, no friends... but at least there's no war. But is it really worth it?_

"This is your last chance," Jesse said firmly.

Riley nodded meekly.

***********

"Okay, does anyone have directions to this camp?" Derek asked from the driver's seat. Sarah started searching for a map before Cameron piped up from behind.

"I can navigate. I'm a Cam-Cam."

Derek turned around in his seat, shooting her an icy glare. "Cam-Cam? Is that supposed to be funny?"

John seemed perturbed at his uncle's reaction. "GPS," he said stonily. "Like a Tom-Tom."

"I was the Cam-Cam on the trip to Canada," Cameron explained.

Derek turned back to keep his eyes on the road. "I don't need your help." Sarah held out the map and he snatched it up quickly.

They rode on for miles in silence. Sarah occasionally glanced around at the others. Derek's eyes remained focused intently on the road. John and Cameron were in the back seat, not talking…not even looking at each other.

Sarah couldn't stand the silence. It wasn't even a comfortable silence. It seemed as if everyone was on edge, John more than anyone, though she supposed she'd given him enough reason to resent her right now. She'd always been able to trust him, with anything. But for John to tell a _machine _that critical information about his father, about Kyle…he wasn't so trustworthy anymore.

Was her future son like this? Had Cameron so corrupted him into believing she actually cared for him? Was John Connor, the hero, really being deceived by the enemy? Even heroes fall...

Everything was falling apart. She could feel the break in the relationship with her son. The rift between her and John was wider than ever. The rift that hadn't even existed a year ago. It had started small. It had started with Cameron. That day when they'd been so close to burning Cameron's body, ending it forever. John had shocked them all; he'd chosen Cameron over his own family, had held a gun to them in her defense. She could still see his face burned into her memory. Him and Cameron standing on one side of the car; she, Derek, and Charlie on the other. Cameron was the cause of everything, all of Sarah's problems. If it wouldn't make things worse, she would have terminated the cyborg by now. But she couldn't alienate John further.

John was hurting, but maybe she could help stop that. She couldn't lie to him and say she completely trusted everything he was doing, but she could at least still show him she loved him. That would never change. And after all, no one could be trusted, not really.

"You've been quiet for 30 minutes," she spoke up.

"Thirty four," Cameron corrected automatically.

John still didn't react, so Sarah reached over and punched him in the arm. His eyes snapped around, widening. "What the heck was that for?"

"Bug slug."

His eyes betrayed his confusion. "Bug slug? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, we just passed it."

"We haven't played bug slug since I was eight."

"So?"

"So you can't just start without telling me."

Sarah shrugged. "Fine. We're playing bug slug."

John's eyebrows narrowed defiantly. "What if I don't want to play?"

"Too late, I already started."

"Are you trying to make up for what you said to me?" John demanded. "You think playing games will somehow make it all better?"

Sarah winced at his tone. It sounded worse when he put it that way. "John…"

Before John could really get riled up though, Cameron put a hand on his arm, cautioning him. "Don't say anything you'll regret."

John's angry eyes flashed to Cameron and slowly softened. He leaned back in his seat, looking out the window. Sarah hated that Cameron could influence him in such a way.

John reached over and tapped Cameron lightly on the shoulder with his fist. "Bug slug."

Sarah glanced out the window to see another voltswagon pass their jeep. Cameron had obviously caught on to the game and leaned forward, no doubt with the intention of bug slugging Sarah.

Sarah jerked her arm away, giving Cameron a vicious glare. "Don't you dare."

Cameron looked indignant, leaning back in her seat. Sarah stared at her angrily. Maybe it was her imagination, but the girl cyborg seemed to lean a little bit closer to John, almost in spite.

Sarah turned back around in her seat. Something was going to happen this week at camp. Rules needed to be laid down.

When they finally pulled into the camp parking lot, John and Derek jumped out to unload the suitcases.

Sarah grabbed Cameron's arm as she left the van. "Stay away from him," she warned. "You don't go near him. Don't touch him."

Cameron didn't even blink. "I'm not the one you should be saying that to." She pulled her arm away easily and followed John, leaving Sarah alone once more.

The more she replayed Cameron's words in her mind, the haughtier they sounded. Sometimes, Sarah could almost believe the machine enjoyed taunting her, enjoyed watching John slowly turn away from his mother.

She would see Cameron burn for that.

* * *

_author's note: okay, so next chapter will be John and Cameron actually at camp for the first day, so there will be more Jameron coming. Please let me know what you think so far!_


	4. So Fair and Foul a Day

_author's note: _

_Renderer - Derek may be a little more anti-Cameron/pro-Jesse than the show, but you just have to measure that against what happened in the first two stories in this trilogy. He's seen Cameron and John kiss during the play, they've been out of sight in Canada together for a week, and he's just found out some of what took place then. Derek does love John and he wants the best for his nephew, and he believes Cameron is corrupting him. So, that was just my thoughts when writing him this way. _

_cptlatnok - Don't worry, this is a Jameron story. No Jiley will be happening. :)_

_LadyKryptonite294 - I'm glad you see both sides of the argument. I'm hoping everyone will continue to see things from Derek, Sarah, and even Riley's point of view too, not just the whole John and Cameron aspect._

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Four:**

**So Fair and Foul a Day**

John walked into the main hall and stepped up to the registration desk. "John Baum and Cameron Phillips," he announced.

The counselor gave them both a friendly smile. "Welcome to Camp Jabez. I'm sure you both will have a great time here."

Cameron offered him a charming smile. "Yes," she agreed. "We will."

The counselor looked down at his list and handed them both a map, circling two of the cabins. "Okay, John, you're in Cabin B, right over here," he pointed to a place on the map not too far from the main building. "Your counselor will be Derek Baum…oh, your uncle."

John forced a smile. On any other occasion, he wouldn't have minded being in the same cabin as Derek, but with the way things were going between them right now, he wasn't looking forward to it.

"And, Cameron, you are in Cabin D," the counselor showed her Cabin D on the map. It was closer to the main building than John's was, and there was one cabin between them.

"Thanks," John said.

"The opening ceremony will start after breakfast," the counselor explained. "You both are welcome to head to the cafeteria."

John walked away from the counselor, grabbing his suitcase and stuffing the map inside.

Cameron looked utterly dejected. "I'm in a different cabin."

"Well, yeah," John replied. "This is camp. It's just like Canada. They don't put guys and girls in a cabin together."

"How am I supposed to protect you?"

John sighed. He should have known that question would come up. "I'll be fine. Besides, Derek'll be with me."

"Derek doesn't count."

John arched an eyebrow. "Why? You don't think he could protect me?"

"Not like I can."

John smiled slightly. "Well, I can't argue with that." He had to admit, he'd rather have Cameron at his back than Derek. He wasn't sure he could trust Derek anymore. Derek had been doubting him, Derek had been untrusting towards John. Derek didn't believe him.

_Just like my mother, _John thought bitterly.

********

John entered the cafeteria right behind Cameron, who instantly caught the eye of Jason Reynolds, their fellow classmate and John's roommate in Canada. John groaned. He hadn't even considered the fact that some of his schoolmates would be coming to camp too. Of them all, Jason was one of the worst. Despite Cameron's unnaturally fierce attitude towards him, Jason had taken it as a challenge and had been trying to gain her attention ever since. It was like Morris all over again.

It caused a twinge of irritation in John, though he knew Cameron would never befriend Jason. She wasn't one to make…or keep…friends easily.

"Hey, Cam!" Jason said with a pleasant and slightly hopeful smile. "Wow, what a wonderful surprise!" He gestured to a group of students from school. "Wanna sit at our table?"

Cameron barely acknowledged him. "I'm sitting with John."

Jason seemed undeterred. "Yeah, but you're always with John. Doesn't he ever get on your nerves?"

"No. He doesn't get on my nerves."

John almost didn't notice the blonde haired girl come up quietly behind Jason. His eyes widened with shock.

"Riley?" he demanded, a bit surprised and dismayed. He hadn't seen or spoken to her since Canada. What was she doing here? He felt Cameron stiffen beside him. Jason apparently felt the tension growing and quickly backed off.

"See ya later, Cam," he called, giving her a wink.

Cameron glanced over at John. "Can I shoot him?"

John scowled. "No. You can't shoot anyone."

Riley smiled weakly as she took a tentative step forward to address them. "Hi, John," she began softly. "Listen, I'm sorry for what happened in Canada. I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

_Hurt me. _He scoffed. Riley had unceremoniously dumped him in Canada because she'd found out that Cameron was in love with him. John hadn't understood at the time, so maybe what Riley was saying was true. Maybe she really did feel bad about hurting him.

"You didn't," John said evenly. "Everything worked out fine."

"Not for me…" Riley muttered. John stiffened. If Riley was trying to get back together with him, she was in for a disappointment. He cast a glance at Cameron. Or a broken nose. At best.

"I mean, I'm happy for you and…her…" Riley corrected, seeming to struggle with her words. "But I…just wish we could be friends again. Can we do that?"

John took a deep breath. He hadn't been expecting that. Riley and Cameron hadn't exactly parted on _good _terms and for the entire Canada field trip, he had been serving as mediator between their petty war. He still wasn't sure if they were past that now.

"I don't know," he mused. "Will you two stop trying to kill each other?"

"Yes," Riley said immediately.

"No," Cameron stated at the same time.

"Cameron," John began.

"Yes," Cameron corrected.

"John, please," Riley begged. Her voice faltered and her eyes shifted to the ground. "I…I just need someone who understands."

John opened his mouth to answer, but Cameron grabbed his jacket sleeve and pulled him aside, out of Riley's hearing range. "She's lying," she stated bluntly.

John frowned. He hadn't exactly picked up on any sign. It was suspicious at the very least, but maybe Riley really _did _need a friend. "About what?" he asked Cameron.

Cameron glanced back over at Riley, who shifted nervously under the cyborg's intense glare. Not that John necessarily blamed her. He had not doubt that the Canada trip could have been traumatizing for Riley.

"I don't know," Cameron replied, looking back at John. "Girls are complicated."

"You've said that before," John reminded her.

"I'm saying it again," Cameron said simply. "Something's wrong with her, John. Fair is foul."

He frowned. Was she talking in code now? "What does that mean?"

"It's Shakespeare," she replied. "From _Macbeth_. 'Fair is foul and foul is fair'. It means nothing is as it seems."

He understood her point. "Meaning Riley, in this case."

Cameron studied the waiting Riley, eyes narrowed. "She's hiding something."

John sighed. Everyone was always hiding something. It could be something harmless. "Am I in danger? Is she going to try to kill me?"

"No," she replied.

He hadn't thought so. "Then I don't think it can hurt to be friends," John said with a shrug. Cameron remained silent and John felt the need to explain his feelings. "Look, she's a foster kid. She doesn't have many friends. She never has. I just…don't like to see anyone lonely."

"Empathy."

"Yeah."

Cameron cocked her head, studying him. "She reminds you of yourself."

John frowned in confusion. "What?"

"She's like you were. You were alone. You didn't have many friends."

"I didn't have _any _friends before I met you," John replied, giving her a smile. "This won't change anything between us."

Cameron seemed less sure. "Promise?"

"Promise. But you've gotta promise not to hurt her, or anyone else for that matter. No more staring contests, no more flushing hairbrushes down the toilet, no more tripping people into pools. Think of it logically: it would blow our cover."

Cameron nodded, complying. "I promise."

John walked back over to Riley and put on what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Okay, Riley. We can be friends again."

The stress and anxiety seemed to fade from Riley's face almost instantly. "Thanks, John. Cameron."

Cameron remained silent, not acknowledging Riley. John nudged her subtly.

"You're welcome," Cameron added.

********

When John and Cameron arrived at the serving station, John looked surprised to see his mother behind the counter, cooking what appeared to be pancakes. Big surprise there.

The real shocker was why exactly his mother was in the kitchen at all. "Mom?" he questioned. "What are you doing here?"

Sarah flipped another pancake. She could only imagine how she looked to her son right now. Disheveled and disdainful.

"There were no more positions for female counselors," she replied, hearing a edge of bitterness in her own voice. "This was the only spot that wasn't filled."

"But you can't cook," Cameron pointed out.

John covered his mouth with his hand to hold in a laugh. Sarah glared at him, not finding it funny at all. Then again, John reacted to almost anything the machine said. John shifted uncomfortably, coughed, and gestured to the meal Sarah was preparing. "You plan on making pancakes for every meal?"

_Why not? _"Kids love pancakes," Sarah protested.

"They also love variety," John retorted. "Like pizza or chicken. Haven't we already established that you can only eat so many pancakes before getting sick?"

"I'll figure something out," Sarah shot back. Truth be told, she really didn't know _how _to cook anything else besides pancakes. And it was true, she wouldn't last very long in this position if she couldn't put out some more variety. She hated what she was about to ask, but she _needed _to be here. She needed to be here for Kyle. She glanced at Cameron. "Maybe Tin Miss can help me out."

"I don't eat," Cameron replied automatically.

"So that means you don't cook either?" Sarah demanded. Surely the tin cans could be of _some _use.

"I cook pancakes."

Sarah stiffened, hand frozen in the middle of flipping a pancake. "What?"

"I added a teaspoon of vanilla to your recipe," Cameron replied.

Sarah's mind was whirling with deja vu, but she dared to say it, "I don't have a recipe."

"The recipe on the box," Cameron replied coolly.

This could _not _be happening. Sarah gritted her teeth. Her nightmare could _not _be coming true. She wouldn't let it.

"Since when do you cook?" Sarah demanded.

"In the future," Cameron replied simply. "For John. He loves pancakes."

John scoffed. "Yeah, well, I'm getting kind of sick of them now."

Sarah was aware of the change in her own expression. A little disgust, a little anger, a little fear… "You cook for John?"

Cameron met her gaze with unflinching, almost cold, eyes. "Yes."

_You know those won't be as good as yours…_that terrible dream…John and Cameron together…the smile…her dream had predicted exactly what Cameron would say in that situation. Did that mean the rest of her dream had enough basis in reality to come true? Was John destined to fall for Cameron…was Cameron destined to take Sarah's place in his life? _Don't forget…you're not her…_

John stared at the two of them, momentarily confused and suspicious. "Is there something I should know?"

"No. Nothing," Sarah insisted quickly, too quickly. She had to change the subject. "Have you seen Kyle?"

"No, but we all officially meet today in the main hall. I'll find out then."

"Good luck," Sarah said.

John still seemed confused when he headed off. Cameron held Sarah's gaze for a few seconds longer. Sarah stared into the eyes of the Terminator dedicated to protecting her son. Was it just her or was there a sort of smug arrogance in Cameron's eyes, the edge of a cold smile on her mouth.

_You're being replaced, Sarah. I take care of him now. John loves me more than he loves you. I'm taking your place in his life._

She blinked and the look on Cameron's face was gone. Instead, it was an almost cheerful smile.

"Good luck making pancakes," she said, before following after John.

Sarah looked after her, fearfully. Had she imagined it? But whether it had come from Cameron or not, the thoughts, the fears, were true.

She was being replaced by a machine.

***********

John kicked a stone across the gravel road. "This sucks," he mumbled. "It feels like we're just sitting around waiting for the Triple 8 to show up."

"We _are_ just sitting around waiting for the Triple 8 to show up," Cameron replied.

John chuckled. "Thanks. I feel like we should be doing something to stop it."

"We're supposed to be at camp," Cameron reminded him. "Having fun."

John rolled his eyes. "Fun. Right. Kinda hard when you know you've got _them_ on your tail. Sure, we're at camp, but what are we _really_ supposed to be doing while we wait for the Triple 8?"

"What's a Triple 8?"

John froze at the sound of Riley's inquisitive voice. He spun around, eyes wide, to see her walk up, smiling almost cheerfully.

"Hi, John," she greeted. "What's a Triple 8?"

John tried to keep his breathing in check. This was bad, _very_ bad. "A what?"

"Triple 8," Riley repeated. "You just said you were waiting for one."

_Think, John! Think! _"It's…um, uh…it's a – a battery."

Riley cocked an eyebrow. "A battery?"

But by then, John had scrambled a story together. "Yeah, you know like a Triple A? This is a Triple 8. It's for our truck, a car battery. We ordered one and we're...waiting for it to come so we can fix the truck and go home."

"Why would you want to go home?" Riley asked. "You're at camp."

"Yeah, but we still need a way home at the end of the week," John replied easily. "If it doesn't come, we're stuck here."

A bit of the fake happiness faded from Riley's eyes and he saw only disappointment. Could she tell he was lying? Had she been expecting something exciting?

"Oh. Well, I hope it shows up soon."

John forced himself to keep smiling. _I hope the Triple 8 shows up soon. _Oh the irony…

**********

She thought she'd had him. She'd thought that maybe he'd finally see fit to explain, to trust her with the knowledge of Skynet, Terminators, and Judgment Day. Maybe it was too soon for that.

She knew exactly what he was really talking about. She could tell she'd shaken him by saying, _hope it shows up soon. _His smile after that was forced.

Riley turned away from him, her own smile fading as she did. He was a good liar, she'd give him that. They both were – him and Cameron. Riley scoffed. The machine had probably taught him how. Did the metal lie to John? Undoubtedly yes. Did he still trust her? Yes. Stupidly, irrationally yes. It didn't make sense, not at all.

Riley frowned. _Keep John away from her. _She still wasn't exactly sure how she was going to accomplish that mission. But at least John had accepted her back as his friend, even if their relationship right now was uneasy at the least. Jesse had dropped the hint that someone else was on their side at camp. Someone else was fighting to stop Cameron as well. She didn't know who, but she hoped they could help.

_Triple 8 battery_. Riley snorted. _Clever, John_. He'd had too much practice lying; he was good at it.

_But so am I_.

************

As soon as John entered the main meeting hall, he spotted Jessica Duncan rushing up to him. "John, you're back from Canada!" she exclaimed. "I'm _so _glad I decided not to go. I heard all about the shooting on the bus. That poor driver…you must have been terrified!"

John nodded, briefly remembering the incident. He _had _been pretty scared, but not from the Triple 8. At least not entirely. He'd been afraid that he'd lose Cameron. Lose her without ever letting him know he loved her. He swallowed hard, trying to suppress the awful memory. "Yeah, it was pretty terrifying."

"Did it have anything to do with that guy who was looking for you at school?" Jessica asked.

John's head snapped up, all memories vanishing. Beside him, Cameron turned her intense, questioning gaze on Jessica. "Guy? What guy?" John asked.

Jessica seemed confused with his reaction, but shrugged. "I don't know. Some guy came into the school asking for you. It was right after you'd left on the bus."

John was sure he looked positively shell shocked. _Someone was looking for me..._ "What did he look like?"

Jessica scrunched up her face, as if trying to remember. "He was tall, kind of creepy actually. He just kept walking from person to person asking for John Baum. And he looked familiar, like I'd seen him somewhere but don't actually know him."

John's mind froze. Who else could it be? Who else had been on TV, a semi-famous face? Who had come to his house searching? It made perfect sense that he would turn to schools next. How had he found them in Canada?

"Did you tell him anything?" he demanded.

"I said you were on the bus to Canada and that he'd just missed you," Jessica replied. John suppressed a groan. "He just said thank you and walked away."

"Thanks for the warning," John said hastily. He grabbed Cameron's arm and yanked her aside, leaving Jessica puzzled.

"Cromartie," he stated.

"That would explain the Triple 8 attack," Cameron agreed. "It only found us because Cromartie knew where we were going. We could still move to Canada."

John was only half-listening. "I've gotta tell Mom."

* * *


	5. My Father's Keeper

_author's note: Again, thanks for everyone who reviewed. Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the previous. The next one will be longer, I promise._

_legionary logan - Ha ha, I like the honey in Riley's insect repellent idea. That'd be funny!_

_TK-MR () - No, no I'm not Canadian. LOL. But I have been there before. _

_cptlatnok - Thanks! I hope you laugh during this chapter as well. :)_

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**My Father's Keeper**

John found his mother still hard at work in the kitchen. "Mom, we've got a problem. Things have gone from bad to worse," he said to her, voice grim.

"You say that like you're surprised," Sarah replied evenly.

"She has a point," Cameron agreed.

"Cromartie's here," John interrupted hastily.

Sarah's whole body froze. "What?"

"I know it sounds impossible, but he's alive."

"John, are you forgetting what we did to his chip? I _annihilated _it. We buried the body."

"But the body was _gone_!" John insisted.

"It still has no chip," Sarah said. "He can't be alive. His body is out there, but not his chip, not his brain. Who told you this?"

"This girl from school, Jessica, said some guy was looking for me," John explained hurriedly. "She described Cromartie."

"She's probably mistaken," Sarah said, biting her lip. "John, there's nothing out there that could be used as his chip, even if someone has the body."

"What about the Turk?"

"It would take someone who knew how a Terminator CPU works," Cameron spoke up.

"So it's possible, though?" John asked.

"Yes."

"Don't you need to be in the meeting hall?" Sarah demanded.

John gripped the edge of the counter tightly. "This is more important!"

"No. Kyle Reese is more important. You have to find him, protect him, we have to be ready to rescue him from a Terminator attack. That's our mission now."

John shoved off the counter and stalked out the door, Cameron on his heels. "She doesn't believe me," he muttered once they were outside.

"She destroyed Cromartie's chip herself," Cameron reminded him. "She's just trying to make excuses, trying to convince herself it's impossible. She's scared. Scared that it wasn't enough. She still thinks it's her fault Cromartie found you in Mexico."

"But no one believes me when I say he's still alive _now._"

Cameron stared at him. "I believe you."

"Thanks," he muttered, though it really didn't do much to lighten his mood. "I wish my mother had that much faith in me."

******

John sat in the meeting hall with his arms crossed and a sullen look on his face. Why wouldn't his mother believe that Cromartie was back? They'd faced so many other impossible situations, what was one more?

The only thing that amused him at the moment was Cameron, sitting at his side, copying his moody behavior, with arms crossed and a simple frown reflected on her own face. He smiled slightly. _Everyone's gonna think we're anti-social._

Sure enough, their behavior caught the eye of a counselor, who slowly made his way over, looking suspicious. "How are you two doing?"

John snorted in disgust. _I just found out that I've got not one but _two _killing machines coming after me. How do you think I'm doing?_

The counselor didn't seem deterred by his stony silence. "See, there's always a few in a group that are, shall we say, the troublemakers. Moody, depressed, or violent."

John glanced over at Cameron. _Between the two of us, I think he got it right. _"I'm fine," he muttered.

"Yes," Cameron agreed. "We're fine."

The counselor stared at her for a moment. "Okay. Well, we're just here to get to know you better."

John scoffed. _Get to know you better _was just code for seeing if they were so-called "bad" kids. "So what, you gonna interrogate us?"

"No, we'd just like to make known a few camp rules. You have probably already heard these. Most are pretty basic. For example, there is no drinking on campus…"

"How will they survive?" Cameron cut in. "John needs to drink a bottle at least three times a day to stay hydrated."

John groaned as the counselor's eyes grew wide. "He means alcohol," John hissed. "Not water bottles."

"Oh," Cameron replied. "Alcohol is damaging to the body. We don't drink it. But Derek drinks beer."

The counselor still eyed her suspiciously, but slowly drew his gaze back to John. "O-kay. Do you smoke?"

John smirked. "Only when I'm on fire."

The counselor didn't quite laugh, but a small smile formed on his face. "Oh, you're a spunky one, aren't you?" He looked at Cameron. "Do you?"

"Smoke?" Cameron repeated.

"Yes. Do you?"

"No," Cameron replied. "I've never smoked, though I have been on fire."

John put a hand over his head and the counselor's face exploded in shock and worry. "On fire? Was that a traumatic experience for you?"

Cameron gave him a curious stare. "No, it was fun."

"What?" the counselor appeared confused.

"That was called sarcasm," Cameron stated.

John sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Ignore her. She's, uh…had some brain issues."

"Yes, I am a freak," Cameron pointed out helpfully.

John scowled. "Shut up, no, you're not."

"You two are an interesting pair," the counselor said, shaking his head, seeming amused by the situation. "But you seem alright to me."

"No one will talk to us," Cameron stated. "They think we're weird."

The counselor scoffed. "Well, welcome to Los Angeles."

Cameron smiled. "Thank you."

*******

The meeting started with the counselors being introduced and the schedule being explained. John was only half-listening, scanning the crowd for a camper that looked like Kyle Reese. So far he hadn't found any.

"You're still worried," Cameron spoke up from the seat next to him. It was a statement, not a question.

John nodded. Of course he was still worried. "We've got a T-Triple 8 on Kyle Reese's tail, and now Cromartie's back for me. It could not be a worse time." He sighed. "What would Future-Me do in this situation?"

"Future-You isn't stupid enough to get into this kind of situation."

"Gee, thanks…"

Mercifully, the meeting ended pretty quickly and everyone was given some free time before the team events would start. The counselor who had talked to John and Cameron about smoking came up to them again.

"Hey, John, would you mind going and asking that kid to join the group?" he pointed out to the tree line where a young teen stood looking up into the trees with binoculars.

"He seems a little outcast," the counselor added.

"Uh, yeah, sure," John agreed. He and Cameron both walked over to the edge of the forest where the young teen stood alone, staring into his binoculars. Cameron cocked her head and studied him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Bird watching," the kid replied without taking his eyes off the binoculars. "Now hush before you scare away all the birds from here to Los Angeles."

"Los Angeles is 46.2 miles away," Cameron recited. "It is impossible for birds to hear us from there."

"Cute." The kid put down his binoculars and looked at them for the first time. "Name's Kyle Reese."

John's breath caught and he exchanged a look with Cameron before turning back to study Kyle. He was younger than John, probably no older than fourteen. Besides that, he was thin and wiry, with almost non-existent muscles. He didn't even look like he could lift a basketball, much less a machine gun. John felt his face twist into disgust. How could _this _be Kyle Reese, his father and hero of the human resistance? _He doesn't even_ look_ like me._

Kyle stared at them uneasily, and John finally thought to introduce himself. "John Baum. This is Cameron Phillips."

Kyle's eyes lingered on Cameron and John had a sudden urge to let the punk get bulls-eyed by a Triple 8. Before either of them could say anything else, a tall, older camper came over towards Kyle. By Kyle's flinching reaction, John guessed they weren't friends.

"Hey, Reesie Cup," the camper said tauntingly. "How bout some lunch money?"

"We're not even at school, Eddie," Kyle muttered.

"Why do you want his money?" Cameron questioned innocently. "Sarah is making pancakes for free."

The camper, Eddie, turned a sharp eye on her. "Back off, girlie, this doesn't concern you."

Despite Cameron's superior ability to protect herself, John still felt inclined to step between her and the bully. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

Eddie laughed, taking it as a challenge. "Like you?"

John saw Cameron tense. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he advised.

Eddie snorted. "Why not?" He took a step towards John and Cameron's foot lashed out, sending Eddie flying backwards a good ten feet. She had a proud smile on her face until John turned to look at her. It faded quickly and John realized she was probably expecting him to lecture her about blowing their cover. It made him understand how much he'd been doing that to her since she arrived from the future.

Instead, he smiled. "Nice kick."

The smile returned to her face and John felt his spirit lift at the sight of it. Kyle was staring at Cameron, not with suspicion or fear but _awe. _John felt that twinge of irritation once more, but Cameron didn't even look at Kyle.

"You were amazing," the boy exclaimed.

Cameron glanced at him briefly. "Yes. I was."

"You think you could teach me that move?"

"No. You do not have the lower body strength necessary to perform such an action."

Kyle blinked. "Uh…I see. Well, maybe you could help me build up that strength. We could work out or something."

"I don't work out," Cameron replied, starting to walk away. Kyle refused to give up, following after them.

"Your last name is Phillips, right? Maybe we'll be on the same team! Mine's Reese."

"Yes. I know."

"You remembered my name?"

"I know everyone's name."

Kyle's face lit up nonetheless. John brushed past him, purposely bumping the younger boy.

"Watch yourself," he warned. "Just looking out for ya." He linked arms with Cameron and walked off, leaving Kyle no doubt confused but still enraptured.

******

John stood over the laptop, staring with disgust at the camper profile picture of Kyle Reese. Derek and Cameron stood beside him, observing the photo more quietly than he was.

"This can't be my father," John insisted. "He's a wimp." _Not to mention crushing on Cameron…_

"That's cuz he's not," Derek replied. "Trust me, if that boy was my brother, I think I'd shoot him myself. Be a mercy considering what's coming. Your father's only six right now."

So it was just like Martin Bedell, John realized. And Sarah Connor. Skynet was targeting every Kyle Reese, hoping to kill off the one who would become the true hero. John swallowed hard. "Does the Triple 8 know about him? My father, I mean."

"I checked on that," Derek stated. "We're not listed in the phone book. He won't find my brother."

John felt a weight off his chest hearing that. His father was safe. For now. "But we still have to keep an eye on this Kyle," John finished.

"Right," Derek said with a nod. "Shouldn't be too hard. You seem to have made a friend."

John scowled. "Yeah. Great."

Derek smirked at his nephew. "Well, I suppose we should be heading to the meeting hall, right?"

"For what?" John asked.

"Team activities," Derek said with a broad grin. "Maybe you and wimpy Kyle will be on the same team."

John scowled. His uncle was enjoying this way too much.

* * *


	6. Some Things are Best Left Unseen

_author's notes: Sorry this took a little longer to post. I haven't had time all day. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!_

_flydragon21 - No, I'm not from China. Not sure what you mean by the "youku logo" but I'm not Chinese._

_Sedgie - Thanks for the review. No, this Kyle Reese is not John's father. It's a different Kyle Reese, like the other two Sarah Connors and two Martin Bedells who were targeted by Skynet._

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

**Some Things are Best Left Unseen**

All of the campers were called to congregate outside to receive their team assignments. John was one of the first to arrive, waiting for Cameron and the rest of the girls to come from their cabins.

To his dismay, wimpy Kyle showed up first. At first, the young boy looked disappointed when he didn't see Cameron with John, but he soon brightened and came to John's side.

"Hey, John," he greeted. He looked around wistfully. "Cameron's not here."

John rolled his eyes. "Wow, your powers of observation are remarkable."

Kyle didn't take offense. Instead, he actually _laughed _cheerfully. John sent a desperate look over at his uncle, who was waiting with the other counselors to assign teams.

Derek simply smirked back.

"What does Cameron like?" Kyle piped up.

John wrenched his gaze back to the young teen. "What do you mean?" _She likes tattoos, leather jackets, and nine-millimeters_. _Ask what she doesn't like and I'll add _you_ to the list. _

"You know, like…what's her favorite food?"

John opened his mouth and closed it. Did Cameron have a favorite food? "Um, pancakes," he supplied.

Kyle appeared thoughtful. "Huh. That's convenient, cuz I hear that's all the new lunch lady knows how to make. Hey, do you think she likes me?"

"The new lunch lady?"

"No, Cameron!" Kyle replied, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "She's so hard to read…it's like she's a mystery. A good mystery, though."

_People die in good mysteries too, _John thought with a scowl. "Let's just say she tolerates your presence."

"I can live with that," Kyle replied easily.

John ground his teeth together in frustration. _If he keeps this up, I'll _help_ the Triple 8 snipe him._

Finally he was saved from further conversation when the rest of the campers arrived and Derek stood up in front of the crowd to read off the team lists.

"Alright," John's uncle began. "The leader for Team One will be John Baum." He proceeded to call out a bunch of names. John only recognized two: Jessica Duncan and Riley.

Cameron spoke up beside him. "I'm not on your team."

John scowled in his uncle's direction. "Yeah. And I think I know why."

"Team Two," Derek continued, oblivious to John's death glare, "will be led by Jason Reynolds. Jason, your team consists of Kyle Reese, Cameron Phillips…"

Cameron turned to John and gave him the most pathetic look he'd ever seen. If he could have put words to it, they would have been: _save me! _

John knew exactly what was going on. Derek had purposely stacked the teams this way, putting Riley with John and Cameron with the two boys who were infatuated with her, all in a desperate attempt to keep the two of them apart.

And John hated it.

After the crowd dissipated, heading towards the first team activity, John stormed up to his uncle. "You did that on purpose," he accused.

"Did what?" Derek tried to look innocent, but John knew him too well. Derek knew _exactly _what he was talking about.

"You put Cameron and me on separate teams," John growled angrily. "On purpose."

Derek's face betrayed how disgusted he was with John. "John, that's just the way it worked out. Your last name is Baum, or Connor, depending on who we're talking to. Riley's is Dawson. Cameron is registered as Phillips. We split the teams by last name."

"I'm not stupid, Derek," John insisted. "I can see what you're doing and it won't work. You didn't have to split it up that way."

Derek pursed his lips. "Okay, think of it this way. Did you see the list of events? Scavenger hunt, climbing wall, archery, canoeing, BB Guns…you two can't be on the same team, it wouldn't be fair."

Since when was his uncle concerned about fairness? "You don't think any of these other kids know how to shoot a BB gun?"

"None that can hit a bulls-eye every single time," Derek replied seriously. "With their eyes closed."

John simply glared at his uncle and Derek's face heated up. "You're getting too close to it, John. It's not healthy."

"You drink beer. That's not healthy."

"What? That's completely different."

"I don't care," John retorted.

"How are you supposed to lead the human race against these monsters if you let yourself fall for one?"

John stiffened. "Sometimes to beat the enemy you have to understand them."

"It's hypocritical, John. It's sick. You bring the enemy into our camp and how do you think your soldiers will react?"

"She is not the enemy," John replied darkly.

"Yes, she is. Listen to me, John—."

"No _you _listen!" John snapped. He took a step forward, feeling bolder. He was done listening to Derek, done with his uncle's hate-fest. "Think of the humans. There are billions of us, lots of us are thieves, criminals, and murderers. If you're trying to destroy the evil ones, does that mean _all _humans are bad just because we're part of the same species? Would you try to kill the _good _ones as well as the corrupt? What if some of the humans want to help you weed out the evil ones? Would you turn your back on them too? Would you want to kill them just for calling themselves human?"

"John, that's not--."

"Yes it is. It's exactly the same!" John insisted angrily. "Just because _some _machines are out there to kill us doesn't mean they all are. It doesn't mean we should destroy them all. Should they all be condemned for the acts of one? Skynet's our enemy. Not her."

Derek opened his mouth to speak, but John shook his head and stormed away. He'd stated his case, won his argument, defended his actions, stood up for himself and the machines.

Cameron would be proud.

*******

John made his way to the BB gun station where the rest of the campers were already waiting. Three from each team were chosen to shoot first. John sighed as he loaded his BB gun, glancing down the row at his competition. For his team, Derek had chosen John, Riley, and some other kid whose name John couldn't remember. One of his opponents was Cameron.

_Well, _he thought optimistically. _At least I'll get second place. _

Before John could start shooting though, he overheard Riley talking to Derek.

"I don't know how to shoot a gun," she said, staring at the weapon with a hopeless expression on her face.

"John," Derek shouted. "You're team leader. Help your teammate."

John narrowed his eyebrows before dropping his own gun and walking over to Riley's position. "First of all, you're holding it backwards…you're gonna shoot Derek…"

Not that he would mind that right now.

Riley turned the gun around, but still seemed confused. John sighed and put his arms around her to show her how to properly hold the weapon. A sudden barrage of gunfire from Cameron's rifle completely blasted through Riley's paper target.

John ripped off his safety glasses, staring at Cameron in shock. "Cameron, what the heck?"

"I'm okay," Cameron replied calmly, reloading her gun.

John's mind whirled. _What_ was going on? Was this some sort of reaction to him helping Riley? He sighed. "I thought you said you wouldn't overreact," he reminded her.

"I didn't," she insisted. "If I were overreacting, everyone would be dead."

John groaned. "Comforting."

Back at her own firing station, Riley calmly lifted the rifle and accurately shot the corner of her paper target, causing it to flutter to the ground.

***********

John was waiting in line for the climbing wall when Cameron came up to him, holding her wrist and looking troubled.

"I need you to do something for me," she stated.

"Like what?"

Cameron gingerly held up her hand. "I need you to fix me."

John frowned, eyes trailing up and down her arm. He didn't notice anything unusual. "Why? Is there something wrong with it?"

"I'm broken."

"What?"

"I've been experiencing involuntarily movement," she replied, flexing the fingers of her hand and studying the motion. "Back in Canada, I smashed the glass in the chocolate shop. Today, I accidentally held down the trigger on the gun. If it's a danger to you, I need you to fix it."

John gently touched her hand as she flexed the fingers again. Everything seemed to be working, but there could be internal damage. He glanced over at his uncle, who was too busy trying to push wimpy Kyle up the wall to notice John.

"Okay," John said. "Let's go to the mechanics lab."

He started off away from the group, making sure none of the counselors noticed his absence. He thought he saw Riley briefly look his way, but if she noticed him and Cameron sneaking off, she didn't say anything about it.

When he got to the mechanics lab, he moved some of the camper's projects aside and Cameron sat down on the stool, picking up a sharp scalpel.

John cringed, shifting uncomfortably in the corner as she sliced into her wrist, cutting a neat rectangle in her arm and peeling back the flesh. Deep down, he knew she didn't feel the pain from it, but that didn't make it any easier to watch.

She looked up at him expectantly and he swallowed hard, coming closer and peering inside at the metal circuits in her arm.

"Hand me that penlight, will you?" he asked. Cameron grabbed the light and he placed his hand on top of hers, using the penlight to examine the metal inside her arm. "Okay, clench your fingers," he said. She did, her fingers wrapping around his and holding. He felt his breath catch, and he swallowed hard, trying to focus on the task at hand. The servos in her arm moved when she clenched her fingers, and he couldn't see a problem. "Huh, that's strange. Everything seems to be working properly."

"No, it's broken," Cameron insisted.

"No, it's really not," John replied, pointing to the metal inside. "See? Everything's connected right."

Cameron studied it, seeming puzzled. "Then why would it do that?"

"Maybe it's some kind of emotional response," John suggested. "Do you remember what you were thinking about when it happened?"

"In Canada, Riley kissed you at the chocolate shop."

"And at the shooting range, I had to help her…" John chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Cam…you're not broken. You're just jealous."

"Jealous," she repeated.

"Yeah. That must be some kind of reaction to me being with Riley."

Unknown to both John and Cameron, Riley had followed them from the climbing wall, suspicious of their behavior. She'd first believed that they simply wanted some alone time to do…well, anything they did together would probably make her sick just thinking about it. Riley shuddered.

But then she'd seen them enter the mechanics lab, and all her previous thoughts faded. Why would they be going in there? Unless…the machine was broken.

And if Cameron was experiencing some technical difficulties, well, then, that was lucky for Riley. She'd been extra careful sidling up to the window, aware of Cameron's hypersensitive hearing.

What she'd seen inside the window spooked her more than anything. She'd seen the _metal. _The metal workings that lay beneath Cameron's arm. The machine had actually _cut _her own wrist, yanked back the flesh and exposed the metal endoskeleton beneath. Riley felt nauseated.

But what revolted her even more was that John was right there, hand in hand with the machine, seeing with his own eyes what she really was on the inside…and _still _looking at her with the same loving expression.

How could he be so blind?

Suddenly Riley realized that her own fate was at stake here as well. Her life was on the line.

_She'll kill me. If she knows what I saw, she'll kill me._

Riley could feel the terror rising inside. She was usually able to keep it in check around Cameron, to keep both her and John from realizing that she knew all about Judgment Day, about Terminators, about Cameron being a machine.

But she'd never seen the metal before.

And if Cameron found out, she may never see it again. She may never see anything again.

Riley was suddenly moving unconsciously, shoving herself away from the window and towards the climbing wall, making sure she would not be in view if John or Cameron were to look out the window.

Back inside, Cameron's head had snapped toward the window and a second later, John had heard the crack of someone snapping a twig. Someone running, he realized.

He bolted to the window, staring out, but seeing no one. He felt his breathing quicken. Someone had been there, alright. The question was, what had they seen?

He turned back to Cameron. Had she seen more than he had? "Who was that?"

Cameron stared back at him coolly. "Who do you think?"

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!_


	7. Just a Girl

_Author's notes: Wow, I was surprised to see so many reviews for the last chapter! I'd like to say thanks to everyone who let me know you're enjoying the story so far. Your comments are very inspiring. So, I know this chapter is technically a day early but a couple reviewers asked for an earlier update and it was ready, so here it is! _

_Cptlatnok - Okay, more action. I can do that. Of course, there will be fighting action towards the end, but the action should be picking up as I progress with the story. Thanks for the input._

_legionarylogan - Ha ha, actually there is a canoe scene with Riley later on. :) _

_acer-sigma - I agree, especially for Derek. I mean, he knows better than anyone that humans are evil too. After all, he's seen firsthand the actions of the Grays in the future. So how complicated is it to think that some machines are good?_

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

**Just a Girl**

Sarah pursed her lips, staring around the kitchen and wondering what kind of dinner she could make that didn't involve pancakes. After the pancake sandwich lunch, she'd heard several of the campers start to complain. Which meant that her superiors would soon start to complain. Which meant she had to step it up or get fired from her unpaid job as camp cook. Not that she would mind, except she would no longer have an excuse to be at the camp, and other-Kyle still needed to be protected.

She heard the door creak open and turned sharply to see Cameron enter. Sarah was instantly on edge, though nothing about Cameron seemed hostile. Right now, at least.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah asked. The last time she'd seen Cameron, the cyborg had revealed that she cooked pancakes for John in the future. Which only compounded Sarah's fear that she was being replaced by the machine.

Cameron gazed around the kitchen before her eyes stopped on Sarah. "John sent me to help you."

"Did he?" Sarah asked sarcastically. "That was sweet of him."

_Those won't be as good as yours…_John had said that in her dream. Was that coming true too? Had he sent Cameron to help because he preferred her cooking to Sarah's?

Sarah swallowed hard. "So what do you suggest?"

"John said spaghetti," Cameron replied. "It's easy to make and will feed a lot of people."

"Spaghetti, huh? You know how to make it?"

"Yes."

"Where'd you learn that?" _Do you cook in the future as well as manipulate my son? Does Skynet have a Terminator cookbook?_

"I've been watching Rachael Ray on the Food Network," Cameron replied calmly.

"What?"

"I don't sleep."

Sarah scowled, though she couldn't help feel a bit of envy towards the cyborg girl. _You're lucky. Lucky you don't have to dream. _

"You don't trust me," Cameron stated.

_Understatement of the century. _Sarah looked up sharply. "No. I don't."

"And that's why you don't trust John."

Somehow it sounded a lot harsher coming from her. "I don't like the way he responds to you."

"I know. You've told me before."

"Well, I'm telling you again," Sarah retorted. "Because it's gotten worse."

She pulled out a large spaghetti pot, slamming the cabinet door harder than necessary. Cameron tilted her head to the side, studying Sarah's behavior.

"You're jealous," the machine stated.

Sarah stopped, turning around to regard Cameron incredulously. "What?" _Why on earth would I be jealous of you? You're a machine! _

"You're jealous because John spends more time with me than he does with you."

Sarah clenched her fist, feeling an intense ball of fury rising from within. Any minute now, she felt she was going to explode. "Why are you here?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"John told me to help you."

"I don't need help," Sarah shot back. "Just…leave me alone."

"John requested--"

Sarah finally couldn't take anymore, hurling the spaghetti pot at Cameron's head. The cyborg caught it with one hand, staring at Sarah quizzically.

"Get out!" Sarah shouted. "And stay away from John! You stay away from my son, or I swear I will find a way to take you apart piece by piece." She took a deep breath, but none of the rage dissipated. "Get out of here," she growled.

Cameron let the pot drop to the floor with a loud, resonating clang before she stalked out the door. Sarah drew in another deep breath, still trying to calm herself down before she went over to pick up the spaghetti pot again, studying it.

Cameron had left a dent in the steel in the shape of a clenched fist. Sarah curled her lip. The cyborg was angrier then she'd let on. She was still a danger to John, a threat.

Sarah slammed the deformed pot into the trash can.

********

John sat down at the cafeteria table with Cameron, Jason, Riley, and Jessica. He was instantly suspicious of Riley, but so far she hadn't displayed any behavior at all that would suggest she had been the one outside the mechanics room window.

He'd talked with Cameron after the incident and she'd reluctantly admitted that she hadn't actually _seen _who it was outside the window. Any normal person would have freaked out immediately…or assumed Cameron had a prosthetic hand. But still…they would have freaked.

Riley's face was a mask. If she had seen, she wasn't showing. And if she _had _seen, she wouldn't be pretending like it hadn't happened right? At the very least, she probably would have showed guilt or embarrassment when he and Cameron walked in. Unless she was a very good liar.

John rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. He was done worrying about it. If no one was going to incriminate him and Cameron, that was fine by him. In fact, it may have only been a raccoon or some other woodland animal that had been making the noise outside the window. That would explain why they hadn't seen anyone running away.

Riley gestured at Cameron's plate. "You aren't hungry?"

Cameron kept her eyes on Riley as she scooped up some spaghetti and took a bite.

Jason Reynolds took a bite of his own, chewing on it thoughtfully. "You know, this spaghetti really isn't that great."

"It's cafeteria food," Jessica replied, as if it were obvious. "What did you expect?"

John looked over at Cameron, brow furrowed. "Weren't you supposed to help cook?" He could hardly imagine Cameron's spaghetti coming out this…well, _chewy._

"Sarah did not require my assistance," Cameron said, tone vague. John noticed the difference in her voice, the look in her eye that was too subtle for anyone else to perceive.

Something had happened in the kitchen.

Jason took another bite of his food, exaggerating the chewy-ness. He smirked. "Hey, Riley, do you think _this _pasta special is better or worse than the one in Canada?"

Riley paused in the middle of a bite, her lips twisting in disgust. Finally, she swallowed hard and put on a sickly sweet smile that she sent in Cameron's direction. "Oh, you mean the one that turned out to be a plate of frog legs?"

"Ms. Darbus said I made a human mistake," Cameron replied easily.

Riley curled her lip. "Right. Mistake."

Jason rushed to Cameron's defense before John could. "You don't believe her?" he accused.

"All I know is she's been trying to sabotage me ever since she started coming to school," Riley shot back. "I've been locked in the supply closet during the school play, got tripped into a pool, and attacked by a shooter on the Ambassador Bridge."

"Hey, the school shooter wasn't Cameron's fault," John pointed out. _It was _my _fault. _Not that Riley would know that anyway.

She scowled nonetheless.

Jason's eyes grew distant. "Ah, I remember you falling into the pool," he said fondly, as if he were talking about a wonderful childhood memory. "That was my favorite part of the trip."

"Really?" Riley retorted. "My favorite was when Cameron nearly broke your hand."

"Hey, I learned a valuable lesson from that," Jason replied calmly. "Don't play with guns. I've forgiven her."

"You would," Riley muttered. "That's not all either. She also smashed the glass in the chocolate shop."

John held up a hand, resisting the urge to slam it onto the table in anger. "Alright," he ordered. "Enough talk about what Cameron did on the trip."

Everyone went momentarily silent.

_John Connor has spoken, _he thought to himself. Weird. Even now, he had a commanding presence.

"Aw, we're not making fun of you, Cam," Jessica spoke up, smiling kindly. "I just want to hear what happened on the trip. What was your favorite part?"

Cameron smiled. "Flushing Riley's hairbrush down the toilet."

"What?!" Riley squeaked. "That was you? _You _stole my hairbrush?"

"It fell in the toilet. I accidentally flushed it down."

"It just _magically _fell in?"

"Well, I helped it."

Jason burst out laughing. "So _that's _why you had that major bed-head! Awesome! Nice job, Cam!" He held his hand out for a high-five. Cameron shot a quick glance at John.

"Hit it," he hissed under his breath.

Cameron smacked Jason's hand. Hard. Jason quickly shook his hand, trying to stop the tingling. "Wow, nice five…"

Riley looked incensed by the exchange, but before anyone else could comment, they were interrupted by an all-too-familiar voice.

"Hey, Cameron," Kyle Reese said with a broad smile. "Can I sit with you?"

Cameron gave John the most pleading look he'd ever seen her use, but he could hardly refuse Kyle. After all, they still needed to protect him. Kyle plopped his tray down next to Cameron.

All table talk seemed to die down with his presence, but Kyle didn't seem to take a hint that he was unwelcome.

"So, what are you guys talking about?" he asked pleasantly.

"Canada," Jason said stiffly, apparently not liking how Kyle was drawn to Cameron.

"Cool," Kyle agreed. "Canadians rock. You know they recycle."

He looked over at Cameron and she must have felt the need to respond. "Yes. Go green."

John rolled his eyes.

"So, John," Riley began. "Do you know what tomorrow's activities are?"

John frowned, cocking an eyebrow. _How the heck would I know? I'm the team leader, not the grand master of the camp. _"Um, no."

He was aware that Riley had scooted her chair slightly closer to his. He cast a sideways glance at Cameron, finding her glaring at Riley as well, completely ignoring Kyle Reese, who was rattling on and on about how recycling was good for the environment.

Jason was leaning on his hands, trying to subtly plug his ears, and Jessica kept stuffing food into her mouth as an excuse not to talk to Kyle.

John sighed, putting his head on his hands, trying to tune out Kyle's obnoxiously loud voice. It was going to be a long night.

**********

Even with Cameron occupied with lovestruck Kyle Reese, Riley still hadn't been able to coax anything out of John. In fact, he'd seemed uncomfortable with her, his gaze constantly being drawn over to Cameron.

This was going to be harder than she thought.

Becoming John's friend had been easy enough. All it took was a few fake tears. Because John Connor hated to see anyone hurt or alone. He cared about people. Unfortunately, he apparently cared about machines too.

When dinner ended, Riley headed out of the cafeteria on the path to her cabin. It only took a few steps for her to realize someone was following her.

She spun around quickly, seeing Cameron standing there, staring... waiting. Riley felt a spike of fear. Did Cameron know that she'd been spying on them in the mechanics lab? Back at dinner, neither she nor John seemed to suspect anything. Was Cameron about to terminate her?

The cyborg made no move to attack, but Riley knew that could change in a heartbeat. If Cameron was going to kill her, there would be nothing Riley could do about it. Might as well make a stand.

"I know what you're doing," Cameron stated, her voice cold and monotone.

Riley tried not to seem intimidated by the unwavering stare of the killer cyborg. "What?"

"You're trying to get John," Cameron replied. "It won't work. You can't have him."

Riley wondered where the possessiveness had come from. Had Cameron picked up on Riley's motives? If so, maybe Riley could use that against the cyborg.

"Maybe you're wrong," Riley countered. "Maybe he still loves me."

"He doesn't," came the quick, adamant reply. "A while ago John told me to stay away from you. But you're becoming a threat. You should have finished your self-termination."

The words cut deep, and Riley's hands instantly went to her wrists, where the razor's marks had been just as deep. She swallowed hard, feeling sick and disgusted with herself for that stupid maneuver, but she forced a smile. "You know what I think? I think you're brainwashing him."

"Brainwashing?" Cameron smiled slowly, which only infuriated Riley even more. "I'm just a girl."

The way she said it almost dared Riley to contradict it, to give Cameron a reason - an excuse - to kill her.

"Yeah," Riley mumbled. "Just a girl." _Yeah right. _

Cameron took a slow, meaningful step forward and Riley felt her heartbeat quicken. The machine cocked her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

Riley tried to keep the fear off her face, starting to panic before logic finally took hold of her thoughts. Cameron wasn't going to do anything to her. Not with John so close by. "You can't do anything to me," she replied boldly. "Because you're John's sister. Adopted or not, get it through your head! You're just his sister, nothing more!"

Cameron didn't seem fazed at all by Riley's ranting, but Riley knew she was right. Cameron made no move to attack. The door opened and John walked out of the cafeteria. As soon as he saw them, his face was instantly suspicious. "What's going on?"

Riley shook her head, plastering a fake smile on her face, ignoring the unseeing eyes that were still trained on her. "Nothing, John. Hi."

"Hi..." John was still hesitant, sensing the hostility radiating from both her and Cameron.

"Cameron and I were just talking," Riley replied.

John glanced at Cameron, studying her face closely before looking back at Riley. His eyes were angry now and Riley grimaced. This was the John Connor everyone knew in the future. The one able to read almost any situation.

Almost.

Because she knew his judgment was clouded on this one. She knew he was biased.

"What are you trying to do?" he hissed at Riley.

It hurt to hear him speak so angrily to her, and part of her façade faded. "Nothing," she repeated, allowing a touch of genuine fear and sadness into her voice. "I just want to be your friend, but she…she hates me."

John snorted. "Yeah, well I don't think you're crazy about her either. But she's stronger than you are."

Riley scowled. "What are you saying, John?" _That your brave spooky ninja can't take on the cyborg? Are you about to tell me what she really is?_

John took a step forward, eyes blazing with intensity. "Stay away from her."

He turned around and stalked off toward his cabin. Cameron gave Riley a cool stare before turning to follow him. Riley kept her face impassive until both of them were long gone.

Only then did she sink to the ground, her emotions a mixture of relief and anger. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to think about the fear that had raced through her at seeing Cameron standing there. _She could have killed me. She probably _would _have killed me if not for John._

And John... poor, misguided John hadn't leaped to Riley's rescue like a knight in shining armor. No, he'd come to the _machine's _defense, yelling at _Riley _for trying to get at Cameron, not caring that Cameron could have been and, in reality, _was _the one to start it all, not caring that Cameron would have killed Riley without a second thought.

Jesse was right, Riley realized. Cameron was corrupting John, completely and utterly. And Riley had let both Jesse and John down by surrendering to the terminator in Canada. John had fallen further and further down the dark path and now Riley wasn't sure she could pull him out.

But she had to try.

For John's sake, as well as her own, she would have to succeed.

* * *


	8. There Is No Fate

_author's note:_

_Ionia J. - Thanks for the critique. I understand your point. This story was actually completely written before Born to Fight, so I think I've gotten better as I go along. Yes, it is going somewhere. The finale stuff gets pretty action packed, but mostly it's just a comedy/drama story. Anyway, thanks again for the review._

_Mathlover15 - Thanks for reviewing. Jesse actually shows up again in this chapter._

_formytots0128 - Ha ha, I know, I love bringing in Sarah's cooking abilities (or lack thereof) and also the pancake references that kept coming up in the series. _

_acer-sigma - Nice analysis. You've hit the nail on the head with that review. _

_Lifesfullest21 - Don't worry, John and Cameron are eventually going to kiss. And there IS a horseback ride later on as well._

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

**There is No Fate**

John Connor lay on his bunk silently, listening to the owls hooting in the night. He wasn't going sleep; he'd already made the conscious decision. There was no way he could sleep without dreaming about Cameron, without having the awful nightmare again, without waking up screaming her name in terror.

In a roomful of campers, he couldn't trust what he'd reveal in his sleep.

He sat up in bed, suddenly hopeful. Cameron didn't sleep either. Would she be on patrol? Would she meet him outside? His face fell. No, he'd told her she had to pretend to sleep. It'd cause too many problems if one of her bunkmates woke up and found her missing. He closed his eyes briefly, wondering if she was lying in her own bunk, just like he was. What was she thinking about? If she could dream, would she dream about him?

He carefully slid out from under the covers, grabbed his jacket, and quietly opened the door. He didn't know exactly where he was going. Maybe there would be some leftover spaghetti in the kitchen…

John turned the corner and ran straight into Cameron, his heart leaping into his throat. "Geez! What are you doing out here?" he demanded, as his breathing returned to normal. "Aren't you supposed to be pretending to sleep?"

"I have to keep an eye on you," she replied calmly. "Which means I must run my patrol since I cannot enter your cabin."

John nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets. He glanced back at the cabin. No one was stirring which meant that, thankfully, Derek hadn't heard him get up. He looked back at Cameron. He'd always wondered what she did on her patrols. Maybe now was his chance to find out.

"Need some company?"

Cameron cocked her head studying him before replying, "Yes." He smiled. In the past, she would have answered differently. After all, she didn't _need _company at all. But she could _want_ it. They started walking down the path behind the cabins.

"You can't sleep," Cameron said. It was a statement, not a question.

John shrugged. "Just don't want to."

"Because of your nightmares."

John looked away. "Yeah."

Cameron stopped walking and sat down on a bench near the lake. "Tell me about them."

John shook his head, jaw tightening. There was absolutely no way he would talk about it. "I don't want to."

"You shouldn't keep things inside," Cameron said. "Dr. Sherman told me that."

She remained seated, looking at him expectantly, and he instantly knew she wasn't going to give up until he did what she wanted.

John sighed, relenting. "Fine. It was about you."

He waited to see her reaction. She cast her eyes downward. "Do I go bad again?" she asked softly. "Do I kill you?"

He felt the shock form on his face. "What? No, no, nothing like that." He hesitated. "You…you _die._"

"I can't die," Cameron pointed out. "Not in the way you understand death."

"You die to me," he shot back. "In my dream, Cromartie comes back and he's even smarter than he was before. He knows the only way to destroy you is to remove your chip. So that's what he does. He disables you, removes your chip and crushes it."

Cameron was silent for a moment. "He can learn a lot from my chip. He can learn your identity, the list of targets, your hideouts."

"I know."

Cameron stared up at him with a new intensity. "I need you to do something for me."

John frowned, not sure what to expect. "Sure. Anything."

"I'm not capable of self-termination."

"Suicide?" John questioned. Why would she be telling him that?

"I can't kill myself, especially if Cromartie would take out my chip," she paused and looked up at him. "But you can."

John's eyes widened and he felt the blood drain from his face. She hadn't _actually _suggested that, had she? His breath caught in his throat but he managed to whisper, "Why would I want to kill you?"

"You may have to someday," she replied calmly, too calm for someone discussing their own termination. "If that ever happens, if he ever takes my chip and you can't get it back, you have to destroy it."

John shook his head back and forth slowly, taking a stunned step backwards. "No…"

"You can't let him get the information I hold," she replied reasonably. "He'll be able to find you. He'll know about the real Kyle Reese, your father. He'll send someone to terminate him, to terminate you."

John scowled. "Stop trying to protect me. I won't do it."

"John, you have to. It'll mean life or death."

"Don't ask me to do that," he snarled.

Cameron backed off at the fierce anger in his tone. "It's just hypothetical."

"I don't care," he replied stubbornly. "I won't do it."

"John, please, promise me."

He hesitated at the pleading tone in her voice. She'd never asked him for anything, never pleaded for anything since the day he had her pinned between two trucks, begging for him to spare her life. He slowly walked over and sat down next to her on the bench. "I can't. I've already made you a promise."

Her face betrayed her confusion. "What?"

"I promised I'd always bring you back."

Cameron stared at him. "That's not logical…"

"Maybe not," John agreed. "But it's human."

They both remained silent for the longest time, John's words still hanging in the air. Cameron seemed resigned now, accepting the fact that he would never kill her, not even if his life depended on it.

After a while, she convinced him to return to his cabin, insisted that he needed rest for tomorrow's activities. He'd protested, which only made her even more adamant.

She all but shoved him into his room, walking beside him to his bunk, which was thankfully right near the door, and making sure he laid down. There was the small fear in the back of his mind that Derek would wake up. And finding Cameron inside the cabin would definitely be grounds for getting them both kicked out of the camp.

He still wasn't sure if he'd be able to sleep. But he realized that with Cameron here, he was safe.

Sarah's words rose hauntingly in his mind. _No one is ever safe._

Maybe not, he told the voice in this head. But in that moment, with Cameron standing dutifully above him, he felt pretty close.

He drifted off to sleep almost immediately, her presence creating a peace in him that he rarely felt anymore.

And he didn't have a nightmare that night.

**********

John stood in line for breakfast, passing his mother who had resumed her usual position behind the counter, scooping food onto the trays. "You were out late last night," she remarked when John came past.

John barely responded. How could she know? Had Derek noticed him sneaking out and just not said anything?

"John, we don't know when that Terminator is coming for Kyle," Sarah cautioned. "You have to be careful."

John felt the lecture coming on. "Mom, I was fine," he insisted with a heavy sigh. "Cameron was with me."

To Sarah, that was even worse.

He didn't care. What she thought no longer mattered. If she couldn't trust him, why should he trust her?

Sarah must have seen the change in his face, because her brow furrowed in confusion at his coldness. John didn't say another word to her, simply slapped a pancake onto his plate and disappeared into the breakfast crowd.

**********

Derek Reese stabbed his knife into the table in Jesse's cabin, chipping away part of the wood. He'd taken a chance coming here. If Sarah, John, or Cameron had seen him leaving the campground – even if Jesse's hideout was a simple cabin just outside Camp Jabez – he knew his family would have questions, questions he wasn't ready to answer.

Jesse came back into the room, but Derek didn't meet her gaze. This whole plan seemed wrong somehow, like he was violating John's wishes. Why couldn't he trust John Connor, the leader of mankind, to make the right decisions?

"Derek?" Jesse questioned, looking at him curiously. "You don't seem sure."

"I just…" Derek shook his head, driving the knife into the table once more. "I feel like I'm betraying him."

"You're not," Jesse insisted strongly. "You're trying to help him, to save him."

Derek still refused to look up her, continuing to cut away at the wood. Jesse chewed on her lip thoughtfully before coming to sit across from him at the table.

"You really don't get it do you, Derek? She's taken over the entire resistance. The machines are running the war, not the humans."

Derek finally looked up, seeing a passionate hatred in her eyes. "I went to deliver a message to John Connor and you know what she says?" Jesse's voice was filled with bitterness and loathing. "'Telling me is the same as telling John.' That's what she tells me. She goes everywhere with him. She's with him everywhere. Twenty four seven."

She paused, letting Derek take in the implications of that. He frowned. _Twenty four seven._ "Wait, are you saying…"

"You know what she calls herself in the future?" Jesse spat. "Her name?"

Derek shrugged. "Cameron?"

"Cameron Connor."

Derek felt his mouth go dry and he managed to choke out, "What?"

"They're married, Derek. John Connor is _married_ to the machine. And you tell me that's not twisted. You tell me you can accept that."

Derek felt his stomach twist, felt sick, revolted. "Married?" he choked out.

"Well, not technically," Jesse admitted. "There's no preacher, no marriage license, but of course, we don't really have a law in the future, do we? In all essence, they're married, in every way."

Derek's mind was racing into overtime. That was it… the final injustice, the final thing Cameron had done to completely turn John. He had to stop her, stop the machine. John Connor was going to be corrupted. Jesse was right. "I can't let that happen."

"That's why we need to do something about it," Jesse replied.

Derek's eyes clouded in blind rage. "I'll kill her."

Jesse shook her head, just like Sarah had. "Not yet. _You_ can't kill her, Derek. He has to make that decision for himself. No, we need to continue with the plan."

"The plan isn't working," Derek protested, rising to his feet. "John hasn't given Riley a second glance. And, truth be told, Riley hasn't been giving it her all. She's been nervous around Cameron, and with good reason. But John's not supposed to know that reason. Neither is Cameron."

"Give Riley a chance, Derek," Jesse advised. "She can get to him. She's done it before."

Derek snorted, yanking his jacket from the back of his chair. "Yeah, I know. She's been toying with his emotions from the start, right?" He pulled the cabin door open, turning around to face Jesse once more. "But you know what the problem is? So has Cameron."

Jesse watched him quietly as he slammed the door shut on his way out. Her eyes trailed to the table, where Derek's knife had been cutting into the wood. For the first time, she realized he had not been unconsciously chipping away at the table. He'd been carving letters into the surface, a phrase she'd heard many times from both him and John Connor.

NO FATE.

*********

Since Camp Jabez was primarily a horse camp, the day's activities required taking care of the horses the campers would be riding at the end of the week. The counselor said that being near the horses now would get the animals used to the campers for the end of camp trail ride.

John snorted. What they really wanted was just someone to do the chores. And he _really _wasn't looking forward to how the horses would react to his cyborg protector. Dogs certainly hated her. Could all animals tell human from metal? Could they also tell hostile ones from friendly? Enrique's dogs hadn't gone wild when John had brought Uncle Bob there. Maybe there was a chance other animals would react the same way.

Each of the horses were tied up outside to a post, waiting for a hose-down and a bucket of oats. As he and Cameron approached one of their designated horses, it began to whinny and snort, stamping its feet in reaction to Cameron's presence. She paused at the entrance, shooting John a weary look.

"It doesn't like me."

John slowly crept up to the horse, trying to soothe it with his voice. "It's alright, calm down…"

He gently patted the horse on the head, continuing to whisper to it. The horse kept a wary eye on Cameron, but it finally complied, no longer reacting violently towards Cameron. John stroked its side.

"I know what she is," he whispered. "She won't hurt you." He glanced over at Cameron. "Come here. Slowly."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Cameron responded.

"Just trust me."

He could feel the horse's muscles stiffen beneath his fingers as Cameron slowly approached, coming to stand directly behind John, who kept stroking the horse and talking to it soothingly.

He looked at Cameron out of the corner of his eye. "Put your hand on mine," he said to her in a soft voice.

John kept his hand on the horse and Cameron slowly put hers on top. John's breath caught in his throat for a moment as he felt her touch.

"Now slowly slide it off onto the horse," he said. He could have sworn her face looked reluctant, but she moved her hand from on top of his to the horse's side. The creature didn't react, and John breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not making noise," Cameron stated.

"It can feel the warmth, you feel human," he said with a smile. "Horses are smart. It senses that you're not here to harm him."

"Why can't humans?" Cameron asked.

John furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Like Sarah and Derek," Cameron responded. "Why can't they understand I'm not here to harm you?"

_If only it were that simple. _John felt his heart break for her. His poor cyborg protector who wanted nothing more than to be there for him and be accepted by his family. He pursed his lips and shook his head slowly.

"I honestly don't know."

* * *


	9. Game Over

_Author's note: Hey, I just wanted to let you all know that I will be on vacation for the next two weeks without internet connection so I will be unable to post new chapters. The next chapter will be posted Friday the 10th of July. Just wanted to make sure no one thinks I forgot about it or anything like that. _

_Sedgie - I'm glad I was able to inspire you to write your own stories. :)_

_Mathlover15 - For your questions: 1) John and Cameron THOUGHT they'd kille Cromartie, but afterward John learned that someone was looking for him in Canada and a fellow student described Cromartie. 2) Jesse's remark about Cameron and John being married could merely be a tool used to get Derek even more riled up and angry at Cameron. It is not necessarily true. 3) Oh, Derek will eventually find out about Jesse, just like he eventually did in the show. 4) Without spoiling too much, let's just say Cameron and Derek will not continue to hate each other. _

_mshig11 - I actually don't know what will happen in Born to Fight yet. As I stated in response to another review, the thing about John and Cameron being married could be a lie devised by Jesse in order to keep Derek on her side. And yes, Sarah could definitely use a cookbook. :)_

_acer-sigma - Good insight. And you're right, Jesse knows exactly what will get Derek enraged. _

* * *

**Chapter Nine:**

**Game Over**

Derek Reese stood with his arms crossed beside the other counselors. The two camper teams were about to compete in a tug-of-war competition. John's team appeared to be the team to beat, but Jason Reynolds had Cameron on his side. Derek had rolled his eyes, knowing exactly how it would end up.

The metal's team would win, hands down.

Derek glanced over at his fellow counselors. _Hey, if I have to put up with Tin Miss all week, I may as well get something out of it. _

"I bet you fifty bucks Reynolds' team wins," he stated.

Counselor Dave chuckled incredulously. "Are you kidding? Jason's pretty strong, but I'd say he's the only one on that team with a chance. Look at that Reese kid, no muscles whatsoever. And there's more girls on Jason's team. No, my money's on your nephew."

Derek smiled slightly. Dave was right. John's team certainly appeared to have the advantage. But the other counselors didn't know that Cameron could take them all on by herself.

"Alright, let's up it," Derek said with a grin. "One hundred bucks says Jason wins."

Dave laughed again, probably thinking about how stupid Derek was. "You're on. Prepare to lose, Baum."

Derek grinned and watched as the coach blew the whistle. Cameron didn't even give the other team a chance. One quick pull and John's team was yanked into the mud pit in the blink of an eye.

Dave's eyes widened in absolute shock at the seemingly impossible outcome.

Derek turned and smirked at his fellow counselor. "Pay up."

**********

The next activity of the day was tackle football. John wasn't quite sure what to expect. He'd seen a couple of football games on TV with Charlie, but he'd never played before and he barely understood the rules.

Jason came up beside Cameron, grinning. "Hey, Cam, ready to play?" He frowned playfully. "It's too bad you're on my team."

As he rushed off to get in position, Cameron looked at John, perplexed. "Why doesn't he want me on his team?"

John wrinkled his nose in disgust. "If you're on the opposite team, he could tackle you."

Cameron paused and stared after Jason. "Can I shoot him now?"

"No," John replied. Jason was laughing amongst his friends and John snorted with disgust. "But you can throw the football at him really hard," he improvised. "Aim low."

He hadn't really expected her to actually take his advice, but in the first run, Cameron caught the ball easily. Jason was down field, calling for the pass and Cameron sent it screaming through the air. Jason's eyes widened a split second before the ball drilled him in the groin.

He went down hard, yelping with pain, as the ball bounced away. John's eyes grew wider and he looked at Cameron, stunned.

She stared back at him, unashamed. "You told me to aim low."

Predictably enough, Jason forgave Cameron, even complimenting her on her nice arm. She repeated the procedure for Kyle Reese, who ended up being taken out of the game early to go get an ice pack. At that point, Jason began to brag about how much tougher he was than wimpy Kyle. The game continued for several minutes before John's team got the ball again. Riley threw a pretty decent pass and John caught the ball, taking off down the field, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He was almost to the end zone, thinking himself home free when something slammed into him.

John yelped, landing hard on the grass, the wind knocked out of him. Someone landed nearly on top of him and the football slipped out of his grip. He heard Jason's unmistakable voice shout, "Fumble!"

John opened his eyes groggily as Cameron lifted herself off him, offering her hand to help him to his feet. "Cam, what was _that?_" he demanded.

"You had the ball, I tackled you," Cameron replied. A loud cry of victory resonated from the opposite end of the field. "Jason just scored a touchdown from the fumble," Cameron added.

The stars finally faded from John's eyes and he accepted her hand. "Wow, I feel like I got hit by a bulldozer. You've got to be more careful."

Her face grew worried. "Did I hurt you?"

He laughed, about to say no, but suddenly grew dizzy, grabbing her arm to steady himself. "Well, maybe a little," he admitted. "But normal people can't tackle like that. They'd probably think you're on steroids or something."

Cameron nodded. "Are you saying I can't tackle you anymore?"

John's face flushed. "Erm, well, I'm saying you can't tackle _anyone. _You'll probably hurt them."

"So I _can _tackle you?"

John put a hand on the back of his neck, shifting uncomfortably."Let's just say, no more tackling anyone in football. Deal?"

She nodded. "Deal."

Needless to say, Cameron's team won the game.

***********

Sarah Connor had been secretly relieved when another cook had been brought in to help for the night. She wasn't sure what she would have done if she had to cook another meal of spaghetti, with or without Cameron's help.

Sarah's jaw clenched. _Cameron. _Cameron, who'd come to supposedly help her in the kitchen. Cameron, who'd brought up the fact that Sarah was jealous because John spent more time with his metal protector than with his own mother. The worst part was, Sarah knew Cameron was right. That didn't make it any easier to accept. She still didn't regret hurling the pot at the machine's head, whether it would have done any damage or not.

Even though her job as cook was temporarily suspended for tonight, Sarah had still already whipped up a batch of pancakes. They were placed out in the dinner line with the chicken quesadillas the new cook had created. Sarah was still enlisted to help serve the food. It put her in hearing range of the dinner line, which was fine with her.

John came in for dinner with Cameron. Big surprise there. Both still looked hot and sweaty from the football game. What was different was the closeness. Ever since they'd arrived at camp, both of them had seemed to open up to each other, growing closer. Even now, they walked with their shoulders almost touching. It bothered Sarah. The sooner they got John out of this environment, the better.

John's smile caught her off guard. A true, genuine smile that she hadn't seen in a while…not since…well, not since his school's Romeo and Juliet performance onstage. Cameron had been the cause of that smile too.

Sarah watched as John scooped some pancakes onto his plate. "You know these won't be as good as yours," he said to Cameron with a smile. Sarah felt the blood drain from her face as shock coursed through her entire nervous system.

Cameron's smile was just a bright, just as _human _as she remembered in her dream. Neither of them spoke again, merely shared that smile that seemed to convey so many things in a few seconds, like they had their own private conversation going on.

_You're jealous because John loves me more. _

She could actually _hear _Cameron's voice in her head, saying the words she feared and dreaded the most.

It was too much for Sarah to handle. She shoved away from the counter and bolted out the door.

************

Cameron scanned the crowd of campers that had congregated in the main hall for movie night.

John was not among them.

She pulled up a schedule of the day internally, re-checking the times and events. If John wasn't at the movie, he would either be in free time at the game room or in his dorm. She had been forbidden to access his dorm, so that left the game room as her only option.

When she arrived, she scanned the room, identifying all the campers inside. She recognized Jason Reynolds, but no John. Several of them were girls from her cabin, but Cameron had never spoken to any of them. None of the campers were playing pool or foosball. Instead, they appeared to be amusing themselves by spinning an empty glass bottle around on the floor.

She approached Jason, the only camper who knew both her and John. "Have you seen John?"

Jason seemed thrilled by her presence and nodded. "Yeah, I've seen him." A wicked smile played out across his features. "But if you want me to tell you where he is, you have to do something for me."

She didn't have time to do anything for Jason. John was missing.

Effective options: Termination. That would do no good because she would still not know where John was.

Torture. It was good in theory, but there was a small possibility that she would accidentally crush Jason's fragile body. It would also cause problems with the camp authority. Plus, John had given her an explicit order not to harm anyone.

The only other option was to comply.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to play a little game with us."

"I can play hooky."

Jason's brow furrowed and one of his friends used his index finger to make a circular motion around the side of his head. She would ask John later what that meant.

"No, I mean a _game_. This one is called 'spin the bottle'. You know what you do?"

Cameron studied the object on the floor. Such a title seemed self-explanatory. "Spin the bottle."

Jason smiled. "Yep. You spin it and whoever it points to, you have to kiss that person."

"Why?" Internal records suggested that kissing was used to display the emotion of love. There was only one person who had ever invoked such emotion in her: John Connor. Who was currently missing.

"Why?" Jason repeated. "Because, that's how it's played." He scooted the bottle a little closer to her, though it was perfectly within reach before. "Come on, give it a try. Try to let it land on me."

Cameron calculated the exact force required and spun the bottle. It rotated quickly until finally it slowed to a stop, the end pointing directly at Jason. He started grinning.

She wasn't sure why. He was not John. She was not going to kiss him.

"Nice spin," he commented. "You know what to do now." Jason tilted his head forward toward her lips. As soon as he was within range, Cameron grabbed his head and slammed it down onto the table, cracking the wood. Jason cried out, whimpering from the pain. Cameron continued holding his head pinned there with one hand.

"Where's John?" she demanded.

Jason struggled to lift his head, but Cameron didn't release the pressure. Several of Jason's friends had backed up fearfully. She thought that wise of them. They had some sense of self-preservation.

"He was walking by the lake!" Jason sputtered. "Now, please let me go!"

Cameron released her grip. As she stalked towards the door, she heard one of Jason's friends let out a whistle.

"Wow, she's a feisty one!"

If only Sarah had not confiscated her nine-millimeter.

* * *


	10. Appearances Can Be Deceiving

_author's note: Well, I'm back from vacation. :) Wow, there were a lot of great reviews for last chapter. I'm glad you all liked the football game and Cameron's ending line. That was a fun chapter to write. Anyway, I hope this chapter will be worth the two week wait. _**

* * *

**

**Chapter Ten:**

**Appearances Can Be Deceiving**

John Connor had just felt the need to get out for a little bit. The movie of the night hadn't really appealed to him and truth-be-told he wasn't even sure he would have been able to concentrate on it. In fact, he was really just getting nervous. The closer they got to the end of camp, the higher the chance was of Kyle Reese's assassin showing up. And of course there was the lurking threat of Cromartie reappearing.

Then there were the other issues his mind was being bogged down by. Riley's return, her heartfelt request to be friends. The lovestruck attitudes of both Jason and Kyle towards Cameron. And, of course, probably the biggest issue of all: the rift between he and his mother. He desperately wanted to regain her trust, but he didn't see any way he could accomplish that without getting rid of Cameron. And that was something he wasn't prepared to do.

Ever.

He dipped a hand into the cool lake water, watching the moonlight reflect off it. _Ah, Cameron, _he thought bitterly. He hadn't experienced that horrible nightmare last night, but it was still fresh in his mind. He wondered if he would even be able to sleep at all tonight.

Something rustled in the reeds directly behind and he spun around, sighing with relief when he realized it was just Cameron. He turned back to the lake, quietly staring out at the water as she sat down beside him.

"John," she began. "You left the group. I was worried."

He smiled at that, just a little, then shrugged. "I just…had to be alone for a little bit."

"Oh," Cameron was silent for a moment, then moved to rise. "I can leave."

"No!" he insisted, grabbing her hand and pulling her back down onto the dock. "Don't. I…I'd rather be with you than by myself."

She complied, sitting beside him once more and studying his face. "You're worried. About the Triple 8 that's coming for Kyle. About Cromartie."

John cast his eyes downward. "Yeah, I guess."

"Don't be afraid," Cameron reassured him. "He won't hurt you. I won't let him."

"It's not me I'm worried about," John replied, looking up with anxious eyes. What if his dream was a vision of the future? What if Cromartie really was smart enough to take out her chip? To download the information from it? To kill both him and Cameron?

"Your dream won't come true," Cameron stated. "Don't worry about it."

She smiled effortlessly and John felt his spirit lift. Just a little. Because he knew deep down that was something she couldn't promise him. She had no control over what Cromartie did or learned.

Deep down, he still felt the pang of fear.

**********

Sarah Connor hates to sleep.

Sleep brings dreams…and nightmares. Sometimes her dreams are bizarre and seem to make no sense, like the ones about the turtle or the three dots. Sometimes they stem from her worst fears, the dream about John and Cameron, the pancakes, John coldly reminding Sarah 'you're not her'.

But sometimes they are far worse, far more frightening, and she wakes up in a cold sweat, sometimes screaming, sometimes being too scared to cry out. The first time she'd had the dream, it was back when she was with Charlie. She'd rushed into the library where John sat studying and all but dragged him out, knowing a Terminator would be coming for them.

She'd been right. They'd been arrested, placed in separate police cars. And then _it _came. The Terminator had shown up, taking down all of the cops as Sarah broke free and went to rescue John.

"You run!" she'd screamed. "Run!"

But running wasn't enough.

The Terminator had shrugged off Sarah's bullets, raising its pistol and targeting John. The shot had rung out. She'd seen her son collapse to the ground. She'd screamed, her world crashing down, as she ran to John's limp body, begging the Triple 8 to kill her.

"The future's ours," it had said. "And it begins now." Then the sky had exploded into fire and brimstone. Judgment Day. The bombs had fallen. The flames burned the flesh from the Terminator, leaving only the metal endoskeleton beneath. The monster stalked up and grabbed her by the neck, squeezing tightly as she gasped for breath. And as she stared into those terrible red eyes, she had jerked awake, her heart racing, hands shaking.

But this dream…this dream was different…but no less terrifying. In fact, if she had to judge between the two, she would have said this one was worse. In this dream, she sees John Connor, her son, looking not much older than he did now, standing among the burning wreckage after J-Day, his face streaked red from so many tears, slow sobs racking his body. Sarah's heart breaks for him, knows the intensity of the pain he must be feeling – that he had failed them all, failed to stop it, failed to save them. And she wants to remind him that he's not alone, that it wasn't his fault. They'd all failed, not just him. All of them - her, Derek, Cameron, everyone. What happened on Judgment Day was nobody's fault. She opens her arms wide, beckoning him in. John looks up in her direction and starts running toward her.

But he doesn't stop.

He doesn't even look at her as he passes. Sarah turns around, following him with her eyes to see Cameron waiting a few feet behind her, waiting with outstretched arms as well, almost mocking Sarah's behavior. John collapses against her, burying his face in her arms and sobbing uncontrollably. Cameron looks up, still cradling John's body against hers, and gives Sarah a smug smile. Sarah sees a flash of light, a small sparkle coming from Cameron's hand.

And Sarah knows, somehow, she just knows. It was a ring, made from the diamond John had given Cameron long ago. The implication of that ring twisted Sarah's stomach and she wanted to scream and charge Cameron, to rip the cyborg apart with her bare hands. But she finds that her legs would not move, no sound came out of her mouth.

It seems like an eternity, being forced to watch the machine gently stroke John's back, comforting him, all the while with that sadistic smile sent in Sarah's direction.

And Sarah still can't move.

Finally John untangles himself from Cameron's arms, rising to his feet, tears wiped away, his face strong and determined once more. He has become John Connor again. He has become the leader, the hero of mankind. He strides confidently over to a small group of ragtag resistance fighters. Sarah can see both Derek and Kyle Reese among them. Their eyes are fearful, proud, and willing at the same time. They were ready to fight, ready to die for John Connor, to take back the future under the leadership of their savior.

But as John walks toward the fighters, Sarah sees Cameron reach behind her back and pull out a nine-millimeter she had tucked beneath her shirt. Before Sarah can cry out, bullets rip into John's back and he sinks to the ground. She screams silently and rushes to her son's side, calling his name desperately, even though she knows it is too late.

John Connor is dead.

Murdered.

By the very Terminator devoted to protecting him, the one who had professed to love him.

She whirls on Cameron, her face tortured and angry. "Why?" she demands hoarsely. "You were supposed to love him."

There is nothing in Cameron's eyes, nothing visible on her face. No emotion, no guilt, no grief. "I am a machine," she states in a cold monotone. "I can't love."

Sarah stares down at John's serene face, feeling the hot tears streaming down her cheeks. _Why, John? How could you trust her like this?_

"Thank you, Sarah," Cameron says.

Sarah glares up at her angrily. "For what?" she demands bitterly.

"For letting me get close to John," Cameron replies. This time the machine smiles wickedly. Sarah shakes her head, tears flowing freely. She had done this. She had caused John's death. By letting Cameron live, she let the cyborg get close enough to manipulate him, to corrupt him, to deceive him.

And then… to kill him.

"The future's ours now," Cameron says.

Sarah sees the sky explode again, great plumes of smoke and fire filling the air, Terminators pouring out of the wreckage from Judgment Day. Sarah hears the strangled cries of the soldiers, sees their horrified expressions at the metal army advancing. She sees Derek and Kyle, fighting bravely against the waves of the enemy, though she knew they must realize it's a lost cause. They were all dead.

As if killing John wasn't enough, it is Cameron who raises her nine-millimeter, takes careful aim, and shoots Kyle Reese in the head. Sarah watches with horror as his head whip backwards, a trail of blood following him to the ground. She hears the unbearable, anguished cry of Derek Reese, a sound that would haunt her forever.

Sarah desperately cradles John's body closer to her own, trying to block out the sounds of the dying. Cameron slowly stalks forward. Her flesh doesn't burn off in the heat. The human skin remains…so that Sarah can look into her cold, human-like face. Cameron grabs her by the throat, metal fingers tightening. Sarah sees a flash of red beneath Cameron's eyes…then nothing at all.

She bolted up in her bunk, sweating, pulse pounding. As her eyes refocused in the dark, she realized that she was holding her Glock out, ready to shoot. She quickly glanced around and stuffed it back under her pillow, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She decided that she must not have screamed in her sleep, otherwise the other counselors would have surely woken up.

*********

Sarah was pouring the next batch of pancakes on the griddle for breakfast when Cameron came in, up earlier than any of the other campers. Sarah resisted the incredible urge to draw her Glock.

"I had planned on waiting for you with Derek's sniper rifle," she admitted in a cold voice. She turned around and saw the confusion on Cameron's face. Of course, the machine couldn't know about Sarah's nightmare. But that didn't make the implications any less real.

"Pulled the trigger," Sarah continued. "Solved about fifty percent of my problems with one shot."

Cameron looked guarded now, leery, probably expecting Sarah to attack her at any moment.

Sarah shook her head. "You know how bad I would have felt?"

"Very bad." Cameron ventured.

Sarah almost laughed. _Yeah right. It would have felt _good. "Not bad at all," she retorted. Some of the anger faded. "But I know someone who would have felt bad. Someone who would have never forgiven me if I'd have done that."

She didn't have to say John's name. Both of them knew exactly who she was talking about.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you," Sarah whispered, more to herself than to Cameron. She still believed the dream. It was true, Cameron was going to kill John by getting close to him. Thinking about it only caused her blood to boil and her rage to grow even more.

"You're concerned for his safety," Cameron spoke up.

"You bet I am," Sarah hissed.

"From Skynet." Cameron hesitated. "From me."

"Yes," Sarah replied. "Especially you."

"We're all a threat to John," Cameron stated. "He worries about us and that makes him vulnerable. He cares."

_Don't turn this around on me. "_I am _not_ John's problem," she insisted. "_You_ are. He's vulnerable because he cares about you, more than he should." Sarah shook her head slowly. "Why are you still here? You're a danger to him, more so than the rest of us."

The cyborg's eyes dropped to the floor. It was obviously something Cameron worried about anyway. Sarah seized the opportunity.

"You know his secrets, you know who his father is; you know things that you shouldn't. You know things that can help Skynet destroy him. If they could get your chip and read it, if they could kill Kyle and John, it would be your fault."

She saw something flash across Cameron's face, something akin to pain. Sarah shook her head bitterly. _It's not real. She's faking it, just like she fakes it with John. _"You could have just stayed away. You say you care about John. Then leave him alone."

"I can't do that. John shouldn't be alone."

"He won't be," Sarah snarled. "He has his family, his _real_ family, the ones who care about him."

"You're not the only one who cares about John."

"John _doesn't_ love you," Sarah snapped bitterly. "He _can't_ love you. John sent you here from the future. He sent you _away_, away from him."

Cameron looked away, but Sarah didn't stop. "Maybe you should think about that. Maybe you should think about why he didn't want you around anymore."

The hurt in Cameron's eyes seemed genuine, though Sarah knew it was a lie. Everything Cameron said was a lie. She couldn't truly feel. But as the cyborg turned and walked out, Sarah felt a twinge of regret. This wasn't like her. She wasn't usually so cruel. Was she seriously basing all of her hatred on that horrifying nightmare? Not all nightmares have to come true.

But they're based in reality, right? There was a good possibility...

_On your feet, soldier. _

Sarah's head snapped up. It was Kyle's voice; she'd recognize it anywhere. What was he telling her? Focus on the mission at hand? Don't rely on dreams to guide your actions?

_This isn't you, Sarah. You're not like them._

Sarah shook her head. _I can't trust her. I can't let her get to my son. _She hoped desperately that Kyle's voice would answer, would somehow reassure her, tell her what to do. Was relying on voices in her head just as crazy as relying on dreams?

_You need her. _

She closed her eyes. He was right. He was always right. Much as she hated the cyborg, they needed Cameron right now. The Triple 8 was coming for young Kyle Reese. What if Cameron took Sarah's words to heart – or her equivalent of a heart – and left? What if John died because of it? Because Cameron wasn't there to protect him? Sarah felt the accusation like a punch in the gut. She was just as bad as Cameron.

What if she had just caused John's death?

* * *

_author's note: This chapter was a bit Sarah-centric, but the next will have more Jameron in it, I promise. :)_


	11. To Trust or Not to Trust

_Author's note: I'm glad you all enjoyed Sarah's point of view from the last chapter. As I promised, there's more Jameron in this chapter. :)_

_mshig11 - There are a total of twenty chapters. Well, nineteen and an epilogue._

* * *

**Chapter Eleven:**

**To Trust or Not to Trust**

Sarah Connor stood quietly in the kitchen, barely paying attention to the potatoes she was peeling. She hadn't seen Cameron all morning, though she wasn't surprised. After what Sarah had said to her earlier, she highly doubted Cameron was in the mood to help with lunch preparations.

She heard the door creak open and looked up to see John enter the kitchen. His brow was furrowed in confusion, like he had an important question to ask her, something that was puzzling him beyond belief.

"Have you seen Cameron?" he asked.

Sarah's fingers tightened around the potato peeler. "No, why?"

"I can't find her anywhere."

Sarah heard the confusion in John's voice, but also the suspicion. Before she could reply, Derek chose that time to enter the room, smirking at his nephew.

"John," he said by way of greeting. "How's the metal?"

"I don't know," John replied, an accusatory edge to his voice. "I can't find her."

Derek frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, she's missing."

Derek glanced over at Sarah, eyes questioning. Did he believe she had done something to Cameron? He must have seen something akin to guilt behind her eyes because he smiled slowly. "Must be my lucky day."

John was less than thrilled. "Did you say anything to her?" he accused.

Derek shrugged. "Nothing more than usual. I've already made my feelings pretty clear."

"I don't understand," John mumbled to himself. "She normally doesn't take your words to heart."

"That's cuz she doesn't have one," Derek replied coolly.

John wasn't listening to him anymore. His eyes were still confused, but Sarah could see the wheels turning in his mind. John wasn't stupid. He knew when things were off-kilter. "She wouldn't have just left without a reason," he said to himself. "If Derek didn't say anything…" Sarah could almost literally see the pieces click together in John's mind. His eyes snapped up to meet hers, his piercing gaze shocked and accusatory. "Mom? You did this?"

Sarah hesitated. There was no _good _way to confess to him. She was going to seem like the bad guy any way she explained. That hurt her more than anything. Because if Cameron really had left as Sarah had cruelly suggested, John would never look at her the same again. He'd never forgive her, she knew that. _Why did I say that to Cameron?_

"We had a… discussion this morning," she said in a low voice.

John pressed his lips together tightly and she saw his fists clench at his side. But she also saw fear in his eyes. "What did you say to her?"

There was no getting around it now. He needed to know the truth. No watering down the hateful words that had struck home with Cameron. There was no turning back. "I reminded her that she was a threat to you. I told her that Future You sent her back and asked her to think about why he wanted to get rid of her."

John just stared at her in hurt disbelief. And that was the look that Sarah never wanted to see on her son's face, especially not directed at her. That disappointment, anguish she had caused him.

"Why would you do that?" he whispered.

Sarah bit her lip. It seemed stupid now, her spiteful words, just like Kyle had told her. "Because I thought it was the right thing to do."

"I need her!" John shouted, voice rising in righteous anger. "We've got two Triple 8's coming for me and you make her leave!"

"I'm sorry, John."

John shook his head, denying her words with conviction, and it broke her heart. "I wish I could believe that."

He held her gaze and Sarah wanted to look away, but found herself unable to. She could see a dozen different emotions reflected in John's eyes. Pain, resentment, astonishment, fear, loss, and grief. And there was nothing Sarah could do to make that better.

It was her fault John was hurting. Her fault her son would never forgive her. It didn't make a difference that Cameron had simply left; Sarah hadn't used the sniper rifle, but what she'd told Cameron still rang true. She'd already lost John; lost the fragile trust they had together.

The door opened again and John whipped his head around at the sound. His whole body relaxed and he closed his eyes in instant relief. "Cameron…"

Cameron stood in the doorway, holding something small in her hand. Her eyes met Sarah's briefly, then settled on John.

"I need to talk to John," she announced. "Alone."

John glared back at his mother before walking quickly over to join Cameron.

*******

John couldn't begin to describe the incredible relief he'd felt when he'd seen her come through that door. As he sent a fierce glare back toward his mother, he wondered what she was thinking. Was she regretting that Cameron didn't stay away?

He couldn't believe she had done that. He didn't think she was capable of such cruelty. Derek, yes, but her? He shook his head. _She could have killed me. My own mother could have caused my death. _What would have happened if Cromartie had shown up because Sarah had chased Cameron away? The Triple 8 would have had no resistance at all. Granted, his mother probably hadn't been thinking about that, but still…if her hatred for Cameron ran so deep that logical behavior was tossed out the window, then there was no hope for her coming around to his point of view. There was no way she would ever truly trust him again.

He glanced over at Cameron, trying to still his racing pulse. "What have you been doing all morning?"

Cameron glanced down, uncurling her fist to reveal something gold and shiny in her palm. "Making something. For you."

John raised an eyebrow curiously. "For me? Why?"

"Because Sarah Connor is right. I am a threat to your safety. Because you refused when I said you must destroy my chip if Cromartie got a hold of it."

John's smile faded. "What are you talking about?" Cameron held out a gold chain necklace with what appeared to be a pocket watch on the end. He took it, turning it over with confusion. "What is this?"

"It's my life in your hands," she replied. John opened the watch and saw that the inner workings were completely removed, revealing only a small red button. "I've planted an explosive inside my skull, near my chip. It's not much, but it's enough. All you have to do is push the button."

_Enough? _John stared at her in stunned outrage. "Do you have a death wish or something?"

"No."

"This is nuts!" he exploded. "It's _insane. _You know what would happen if Derek or my mother got hold of this? They'd kill you. On the spot."

"That's why I've given it to you," she replied calmly. "If you're ever in a position where I'm out of commission and someone is trying to get to my chip, you have to push it."

"Why would I do that?" John breathed.

"Because your mother is right. I know things, things that you told me when you shouldn't have. Things that could kill you if the enemy found out."

John had thought they'd settled this question that night on the dock when he'd sworn with conviction that he would never kill her. Cameron had backed down when he started to get worked up. He should have seen this coming. He should have known she wouldn't give up.

John slammed his fist down on the table. "Stop…just stop! Stop trying to protect me! Would you want me to kill you?"

"My mission…"

John took an aggressive step forward, grasping her arms and pushing her up against the wall. She didn't react, didn't try to resist, though he knew she was perfectly capable. "Forget about the mission for once!" he ordered, his voice almost pleading. "Think about _you_! What do _you _want? Would you want me to kill you? Would you want to die?"

He saw her hesitate. "...no."

He released her, taking a small step back and holding out the necklace to her. "Then I won't do it. Take it out, now."

She refused to take the necklace from him, her eyes never leaving his, searching his face. "I can't do that, John. You may have to use it someday."

"No," he growled. "You better just put an explosive in my head too, because if this button ever gets pushed…" He shook his head, his voice softening. "I'd die along with you anyway. Take it out."

"You have to do this, John," Cameron replied. "If you don't take it, I'll have to give it to Sarah or Derek."

John's hand closed around the watch again, feeling the panic rise. If the watch was in Derek's possession and knew what it did, or if Cameron's life was in his mother's hands… she wouldn't last a day. They already hated her, mistrusted both her and him. That much had been made clear that morning.

Cameron seemed adamant right now, but he could make her take out the explosive later. He would _order _her to take it out, or else he'd do it himself. Right now, he had to placate her, keep her life in his hands and his hands only. It was only then that the implications of her action hit him.

She was essentially giving her life to him. Her life, her all, her everything. All to him. If there wasn't a bomb in her head, he would have been touched by the gesture.

He swallowed hard before he put the necklace over his head and tucked it under his shirt.

********

"Hey, Baum!" Counselor Dave ran up to Derek, waving to get his attention. "Listen, we've got a problem."

"I've got to supervise the canoe race," Derek replied.

"Actually, we need someone to stay here in the main hall," Dave replied. He sighed. "Turns out we had a bit of a problem last night. Cameron Phillips attacked Jason Reynolds out in the game room. We're suspending her from the first activities. I need someone to stay here in the main hall to make sure she doesn't try to sneak out or anything."

Derek's eyes widened as the implications of that set in. _No. They cannot be asking me to do this. _"You're making me baby sit?"

Dave raised an eyebrow. Derek knew he probably sounded like an idiot but there was no way he was staying in the same room with that bucket of bolts.

"Baum, it's only for a couple of hours."

"But…I don't want to stay here with it!" Derek blurted angrily. _I am a soldier, not a terminator babysitter._

A confused look crossed Dave's face, and Derek winced, finally realizing his slip of tongue. "It?"

"I was trying to say, 'It's not fair!'" Derek corrected.

"Come on, Baum, what are you, a two-year-old? No complaining. She's your niece, isn't she?"

Derek's face darkened. He didn't even _care _if that was his cover story. After what she'd been doing to his nephew, he wasn't going to be associated with that machine in any way. "She is _nothing _to me."

Dave looked positively appalled at his harsh tone. "Gosh, Baum, have a heart."

As the counselor turned and walked away, Derek scowled and muttered to himself. "Why? She doesn't."

************

"Wait, you're grounded?" John protested. "For what?"

Cameron shot a glance over at Jason, who was just exiting the main room with the other campers, all heading for the canoe race.

"When I was looking for you last night, I injured Jason Reynolds," Cameron explained. "He wouldn't tell me where you were and tried to make me play a game with him."

"A game?" John prodded.

"Spin the bottle."

John scowled, his eyes narrowing in anger. How _dare _Jason try something with Cameron. "I'll kill him."

"I deserve this," Cameron stated. "I disobeyed your order not to harm anyone."

John felt flustered. "Yeah, but he shouldn't have been playing that. Why didn't you tell the counselor that?"

"Do you remember when I told you no one likes a nag?"

"Yeah, but what does that---."

"No one likes a tattletale either."

John sighed, shaking his head. "Cameron…"

"Besides, he would not have believed me," she pointed out. "You told him I had brain issues and all the witnesses would side with Jason."

John shuffled his feet, casting his eyes toward the throng of campers heading towards the canoes. "It won't be any fun without you."

Cameron offered him a small smile. "Maybe you'll win without me as your competition."

"Hey!" John cried, with a grin of his own. "Cocky much?"

"Besides, it's possible I may have sunk the boat."

His smile faded. He hadn't considered that. Cameron's eyes flicked up toward the door again.

"You should go. They're getting ready to start."

John hesitated, not wanting to leave her behind, but she smiled reassuringly and he nodded. "I'll be back."

As he walked outside the main hall, he saw his mother approaching and he quickly glanced back at the building entrance, where Cameron was trapped for the duration of the canoe race.

Sarah must have read something in his eyes because she was instantly guarded. "John," she stated, her tone almost warning. "Remember what she is."

That he could answer definitely. "I am," he replied simply. He knew exactly what she was. Yes, she was a machine, but she was also so much more. She cared, she felt, she laughed…she loved. He looked up at his mother. He hadn't spoken to her since Cameron's reappearance. Maybe now was his chance to make her see his side of things. Maybe she had acknowledged her mistake and was trying to make it up to him.

"She's different," he said.

Sarah pursed her lips. "How do you know?"

"She told me."

"Just like she told you she loved you?"

John's eyes snapped up. How _dare _she bring that up! She didn't know anything! _Anything! _

He pressed his lips together tightly, trying to keep from shouting at her. Why was he even bothering trying to convince her? His mother didn't believe him, didn't trust him. She would do anything to get Cameron out of the way.

After this morning, John was beginning to realize that there was no hope. Sarah was just incapable of trusting Cameron.

And so she was incapable of trusting John too.

**********

John ended up being stuck with Riley for the canoe race since he was the last to arrive at the dock and everyone else had picked partners already. The flag dropped and the canoes lurched forward, starting the race.

John knew his heart wasn't in it, but he continued to paddle nonetheless. He couldn't come to appreciate Riley's all too happy 'carrots and apples' attitude.

"Come on, John, pedal to the metal!" she cried excitedly.

John frowned. "Um, Riley, we're in a boat."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Sor-ry! Gosh, you're such a stickler! Paddle to the water then! Let's go!"

It was only logical to try to win this canoe race, he thought to himself. He figured the faster they were done, the faster he could get back to Cameron. They started making good time, until Jason Reynolds rammed into them from behind, shoving John's canoe up into the shoreline where it stuck fast in the mud. Jason chuckled as his boat floated past and John flung his paddle down into the middle of the canoe.

Riley kept her eyes down at the ground. "I'm sorry, John."

He shook his head, sighing. "It's not your fault."

"No, not this," Riley corrected. "For everything that's happened this week."

John stared at her, puzzled, but listening intently. "What do you mean?"

Riley's happiness seemed to fade entirely, leaving only pain and sorrow. "I wanted to be your friend, but…I think I'm going about it the wrong way. I'm really sorry for trying to get at Cameron during dinner the other day. I know you care about her and I guess I was just a little jealous. I mean, we used to hang out and have fun together too. I guess I'm just saying I miss that."

She seemed sincere, and he slowly nodded, trying to give her a reassuring smile. Riley looked relieved, obviously liking the fact that the relationship between them was no longer hostile.

But as they started walking the shore towards the finish line, John couldn't get the nagging feeling out of his head, the feeling that something still wasn't right. That Riley was still hiding something from him. Like she had a secret agenda of some kind that he didn't know about. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. Everyone around him seemed to be hiding something. Like no one was who they claimed to be. Cameron was right.

_Fair is foul._

Nothing is as it seems.

* * *


	12. All's Fair in Love and War

**Chapter Twelve:**

**All's Fair in Love and War**

John and Riley received last place in the canoe race, due to the fact that they didn't even _finish _the race with the canoe. Despite the fact that they had to walk all the way back, John had noticed a change in Riley's behavior. Her 'carrots and apples' attitude seemed to be genuine now, not merely a cover for what lay underneath.

He still wasn't sure what exactly she was hiding underneath. He just knew that there was a secret that still existed. And he had a feeling it was important.

As soon as they arrived back with the other campers, Kyle Reese ran up to John, eagerly looking around and asking where Cameron was.

"She's grounded," John replied briskly, hoping Kyle would drop the subject. No such luck. Kyle followed him, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Cameron? Grounded? Why? What did she do?"

Jason overheard the one-way conversation and stepped in. "I'll tell you what," he said with an angry scowl. "She smashed my head into a table."

John hid a grin. At long last, Jason seemed to be over his crush on Cameron. Apparently the pain and terror she'd put him through last night had finally changed his mind about her.

Kyle, however, didn't seemed appalled at Cameron's behavior. Instead he grinned smugly. "Well, you probably deserved it…"

Jason took a threatening step towards the young boy, and Kyle ducked behind John who rolled his eyes, wondering when he had become the young camper's official protector. Jason seemed to be asking himself the same thing, smirking at John.

"Cute," he said. "Fine, protect the little punk, just like you protect your psycho adopted sister. You're all nuts."

He turned and stalked away and Kyle stepped back out from behind John. "He's very strange," Kyle stated.

John scoffed. _You're one to talk. _He managed to lose Kyle in the crowd of campers and hurried back to the main hall where he hoped Derek and Cameron were both still alive.

When he opened the door, he found them both in opposite corners of the room, staring at the other with a look of absolute hatred. Derek hastily stood up when John entered, stalking towards him.

His uncle sent a glare in Cameron's direction before turning to John. "The next time you leave me alone with her, someone's gonna die."

"It won't be me," Cameron replied stonily.

Derek looked stunned, and Cameron gave him a pleasant smile.

"Fooled you again," she said.

John cracked a smile. Derek glared at his nephew before turning and storming out the door.

When John left the main hall with Cameron, he was surprised to see Riley waiting outside on the steps, a cheerful smile on her face. "Hey, John! Where you headed?"

John hesitated, glancing over at Cameron uncomfortably. "Um, I don't really know. I think there might be another activity before dinner."

"Cool, so you wanna go do something? We could all chill in the game room."

For once, John was unsure of how to respond. Riley's forwardness had to be upsetting Cameron. Surely she couldn't think he and Riley were still a possibility, right?

A sudden thought struck him. What if it had been Kyle Reese coming up and asking to hang out with Cameron? Would he feel jealous then? Most definitely, despite the fact that he knew Cameron would never even give young Kyle the time of day. It didn't matter.

And it was the same with Riley, he realized. It didn't matter to Cameron that he wasn't really interested in Riley anymore. She probably felt jealousy just the same; and she couldn't understand it like he did.

He still liked Riley. He still wanted to be her friend, but it was better for everyone if they weren't. Better for him and Cameron, and even better for Riley herself. Friends of John Connor often ended up dead, and he didn't want to be responsible for the death of anyone else.

"I'm sorry, Riley," he said softly. "But I don't think this will work."

Riley's face fell instantly. "What?"

He pursed his lips. "You shouldn't be friends with me. It…it's just not a good idea."

Riley looked confused, rightfully so. After all, in the canoe race he had reluctantly agreed that they could be friends. _She may never understand_, he realized. But she would get over him eventually. And whatever her secret was, whether it was just the fact that she still loved him, or something bigger, he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

"I'm sorry," he said again. He left her standing there, her eyes wide with astonishment and hurt.

************

Sarah Connor stood in the kitchen… again. _Seems like this is where I've spent all my time so far, _she thought to herself still wasn't sure what to make of John and Cameron. John had continuously insisted that Cameron was different, and truth be told, Sarah hadn't seen any deception from Cameron besides what had been in her dream.

Maybe Kyle was right. Maybe she was basing her real-time reactions on nothing more than a bad dream.

She was vaguely aware of Cameron entering the kitchen but purposely ignored her, picking up a knife and slicing into a chunk of ham. The last time she had spoken with Cameron, it had been with anger and spite, but if the cyborg had come for an apology, she wasn't going to get one.

"Do you want to know why I make pancakes for John?" Cameron spoke up. Sarah wasn't sure where the question had come from.

"Because I died?" she guessed.

"Partially," Cameron agreed. "John hated pancakes, was sick of them, much like he is now. After your death, he started asking me to make them again. Because they reminded him of you."

Sarah stopped cutting the ham and looked up at the cyborg. Cameron's face was expressionless, unreadable.

"He still keeps a copy of the _Wizard of Oz_ in his room," she said quietly. "Sometimes he takes it out late at night and reads it, in Spanish, just like you used to do. He has nightmares often. Many times he wakes up in the middle of the night, crying and screaming your name."

Sarah wasn't sure she wanted to know how Cameron knew what happened in John's room at night. She swallowed hard, unable to keep from asking, "How do you know this?"

"He and I talk about it a lot."

Sarah couldn't read anything else on Cameron's face. That was what she hated about the machines. They could conceal their emotions effortlessly. Emotions they shouldn't have.

"What are you to him, in the future?" she dared to ask.

Cameron's eyes burned with intensity. "I'm everything."

_I'll kill you…stay away from my son! _Sarah clenched her fists, hand curling around the knife, fighting the urge to turn and plunge it into Cameron's chest, not that it would do much good.

Cameron wasn't finished. "But you were everything first," she added. "He loves you. He just needs you to believe in him."

That stopped Sarah in her tracks. "What? I…I believe in him. I'd die for him."

"We all would die for him," Cameron countered. "Only some of us believe in him completely, trust him, have confidence that he'll make the right decisions, become the savior he's meant to be. Even you and Derek don't trust him. He can tell. He needs you to believe in him."

Sarah looked away. "I know." She desperately wanted to trust John, but he also had to prove himself trustworthy. _And how would he do that?_ she asked herself. By ditching Cameron? Would killing his ally actually make John trustworthy? Maybe it was Sarah who needed to learn to trust…

"I'm not trying to replace you," Cameron stated. "No one can ever replace his mother. He needs your love too."

Sarah bit her lip, remaining silent until Cameron turned around and left the kitchen. Only then did she let out a slow, shaky breath and sink to the floor.

No one could deny that Cameron cared for John, in her own weird cyborg kind of way. The thing that irritated Sarah was not the machine's supposed emotions, but that John cared for her too, loved her even. That much had been clear when he'd held a gun to his own mother in defense of that thing, despite the fact that Cameron had just tried to kill him.

Accepted, trusted, believed in…_When is the time for me to live my life? _And then, Cameron's words: _he needs you to trust him, to have faith in him_. She could almost see John's heartbroken, pleading face; hear his tortured voice…

_Believe in me, Mom. _

But Sarah didn't think she could. Because trusting John right now meant trusting Cameron as well. And that was something she didn't think she was ready to do, no matter how much John tried to convince her otherwise.

************

Riley had been so sure she was getting to John. Flirting hadn't worked, so she'd tried simply begging for friendship. John had seemed to agree, reluctantly at first, but once he was back with Cameron, it seemed that all her hard work had been for nothing. Because for John, everything centered on Cameron; John would do anything to please Cameron. The machine could ask John to jump off a cliff and he'd probably do it.

But John's behavior only confirmed Jesse's explanation… that Cameron was manipulating John into a position where she could ask him to do anything and he would do it. Where _she_ would be in control of the war, not him. Where John's devotion and loyalty to one of _them _would make him a traitor to the human race. It only served to make Riley even more determined to save him from that fate.

John definitely wasn't making it easy for her. Their dinner group from the last few nights had nearly fallen apart. Jason kept clear of Cameron, and John had steered clear of Riley. He and his cyborg girlfriend had sat alone at another table, leaving Riley with Jessica and that nerdy kid Kyle.

Tonight the special event was campfire songs, karaoke style. Riley had rolled her eyes in disgust at hearing the news, but the more she thought about it, the more she began to form a plan around the idea. Guys loved girls who could sing, right? Maybe? She imagined the dating process in the future was more than a little different than back here. Maybe, if she sang well enough, she could capture John's attention once more. Or at least get him to _talk _to her again.

She was grasping at straws, she knew. But the straws were all she had left.

When the karaoke campfire night actually started, Riley scanned the crowd, spotting John and Cameron sitting together, close by the fire. Kyle had been the first in line, singing some incredibly off-pitch, extremely cheesy love song, his gaze directed at Cameron the entire time.

The machine never looked up once.

Kyle returned to his seat, dejected. Riley waited for a few other people to go ahead of her. They were decent singers as far as she could tell. Her musical taste was somewhat limited to what she'd heard on iPods during the long drive to Canada.

She didn't know how her own voice sounded. She'd never tried to sing before. No one sang in the future; many who were born after Judgment Day didn't even know what music was. There was no cause for singing. No joy.

But when she stepped up to sing at the campfire, she held all of the campers' attentions. All of the guys seemed entranced by her and her voice.

Except one.

The one that mattered most.

John Connor wasn't even looking at her, wasn't even paying attention. He was speaking quietly to Cameron. As usual. Riley felt a pang of hurt. Had she screwed up so badly in Canada? Why had she ever allowed that metal tin can to win? Sure it had been the honorable thing to do, but it had gotten her punished by Jesse. By the time she'd gotten back in the game, John had been too far gone.

As she stepped down and made her way back to her seat, she caught the tail end of John and Cameron's conversation.

"Why do some people sing and others just sit?"

"It's karaoke," John explained without any sign of annoyance at the obvious question. "Not everyone is able to sing…or sing _well._"

"What determines if they are able to sing well?"

"It's just something they're born with," John replied.

"Can I sing?"

"I don't know. You wanna get up and try?"

Cameron took a look at all the people and her gaze turned back to John. "No."

He laughed lightly. "Stage fright? It's okay. I'm not going up either."

"You can't sing?"

John chuckled dryly. "You don't want to hear me sing."

"Maybe I do."

John stared at her for a moment. "Well, maybe I'll let you hear the massacre later. I doubt anyone else wants to hear it."

"I do," Riley piped up. John jumped, startled at her sudden appearance. "You know any love songs, John? To sing to your _girl_friend."

John's face tightened and she could almost sense the fear coming from him. Did he think she knew his dirty little secret?

"Assuming she is your girlfriend now," Riley added easily. "And not just your brain-dead adopted sister."

His face relaxed ever so slightly. It was almost unnoticeable, but she'd been studying him for far too long not to catch it. Cameron was staring at her silently. Could the cyborg tell she was lying?

Instead Cameron smiled. Riley instantly felt suspicious. It seemed forced, even for a machine. "You sing better than all the people sitting down."

Riley cocked an eyebrow. "Thanks I guess. It's a rare gift. Not everyone can sing, you know."

"I know. John told me."

"Did he?" Riley feigned interest. If John wasn't going to be charmed, Riley was going to have to play hardball. "Most of these kids couldn't carry a tune to save their lives. It's like John and I used to say, people suck."

John's face instantly stiffened. Good, he remembered. "What?" she prodded. "You don't remember Mexico? The Honeymoon Suite?"

She noticed Cameron glance away. If she hadn't known the girl was a machine, she could have sworn Cameron actually felt the sting of Riley's jab.

John felt it too. His lip curled and he stated in a dangerous, low tone, "Riley, stop."

"What?" she demanded, unafraid in the slightest. "You didn't enjoy yourself? I know I did."

John's hand twitched, the same way Jesse's did whenever she was about to land a blow. Riley flinched out of reflex, but John didn't move to strike. Instead he turned to Cameron.

"Cameron, no," he said strongly. "Nothing happened. I should never have gone. It was a mistake."

_Mistake. _Riley winced. The hurt was there, though she knew she'd brought this on herself. The confused John she'd known in Mexico and even Canada was gone. John _Baum _was gone. Now she was looking at John Connor. And this John knew what he wanted, what he _had_, what he'd fight for.

She was going to fail again.

* * *


	13. On Your Feet

**Chapter Thirteen:**

**On Your Feet**

"John!"

John paused with his hand on the door of his cabin, slowing turning around to regard his uncle with a cool expression.

"Where are you going?" Derek demanded.

"For a walk."

"Alone?" From the way he said it, John guessed that Derek already knew the answer.

He scowled. "I wasn't aware I had to check in with you for every single thing I do."

"I'm your counselor."

"You're also my uncle," John shot back. "You're supposed to trust me."

"I do trust you," Derek replied. "I just don't trust _her_."

John's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me, Derek," he warned. He knew his uncle well enough to know how false his last statement was. Derek didn't trust anyone, didn't trust Sarah, didn't trust Cameron, didn't even trust John Connor. It was just part of his nature. But it didn't make it any harder to accept. "I know you. You don't trust me."

Derek opened his mouth to speak, then closed it quickly. He didn't even try to deny it, casting his eyes downward. They locked on the pocket-watch necklace that still hung around John's neck. "What's that?"

"Nothing," John said quickly. "It's just a watch."

In a move so fast, John could barely track it, Derek's hand lashed out and grabbed the necklace, popping it open and spotting the trigger inside before John jerked backwards, frantically ripped it out of his hand.

"What's that?" Derek demanded.

John could feel his pulse beating faster as he tucked the necklace into his shirt. A slow smile spread across his uncle's face as he gauged John's reaction.

"It's a detonator, isn't it?" he guessed. "For the machine." He chuckled humorlessly, though John could hear the disbelief and hostility in his voice. "If she can't trust herself, John, how can _you_ trust her?"

"I just do," John said stiffly.

His uncle didn't say anything else, but John noticed the way Derek's eyes lingered for too long on the little round lump under his shirt. John felt nervous. There was nothing Derek would like better than to see Cameron blown to smithereens. Whereas Sarah would never take a step that far, knowing her son would never forgive her, Derek would kill Cameron himself if John didn't.

John spun to the door, still feeling his uncle's gaze boring into his back. He wouldn't let Derek hurt her. He had to protect her.

He had to get Cameron to take it out.

*********

"I can't," Cameron replied calmly, despite his almost frantic protests. "You may have to use it someday."

John stood across from her in the mechanics lab, scalpel in one hand and the necklace in the other. "Derek will _kill _you if he gets this. He knows about it. He knows what it is, and he won't stop. His hatred runs deep. He'll kill you. Cameron, _please_," he begged. "You have to listen. Take it out. For me, please, take it out."

Maybe it was the pleading in his voice or the desperation in his eyes, but either way, Cameron finally complied, lying down on the table. John had already taken precautions, even though no one should be wandering around this late. He'd locked the doors and put blankets over the windows.

The metal appendage he could have explained. But if someone caught him slicing into Cameron's skull, there was no way he could talk himself out of it. They'd both get thrown out.

"Where'd you put it?" he asked.

"Right near my chip port," Cameron replied.

He started the familiar motion, pressing the blade down to her endoskeleton, swallowing hard. This part always made him squeamish. It didn't hurt her, he knew that. But he felt so _awful _cutting into her head like this. He hated it.

When he pulled back the skin flap and saw the tiny explosive right beside her chip port, he nearly sighed with relief, plucking it off and dropping it into his palm. Half of his fears were now solved.

Cameron sat up on the table and he handed her the explosive. "Promise me you won't try anything like that ever again. I'm serious. Promise me."

"Promise," she replied. This time, he knew she meant it.

As they exited the mechanics lab, John allowed himself a small smile, breathing in the cool night air. "So," he said softly. "What would Future John do right now?"

"Future John doesn't live here," she replied quietly. "You do. So the question is…what will you do?"

John stared at her for a moment, gazed into her perfectly human-like eyes, and leaned in towards her. He hadn't kissed her since the night of their school's _Romeo and Juliet _performance. It had been so real then, so human, so perfect.

But this time, neither of them had to act. It was completely real.

This time was even better.

********

Sarah hid in the shadows, watching John and Cameron as they stood in front of the mechanics lab. She had no idea what they could have been doing in there, unless Cameron had needed some type of repair.

"Future John doesn't live here," Cameron was saying softly. "You do. So the question is…what will you do?"

_Yes, John. What will you do? _Sarah wondered.

He smiled and made the first move, leaning in slowly and pressing his lips up against Cameron's, the kiss soft and sweet. Sarah's hand automatically went to the Glock tucked under her shirt. Not that it would do any good. There was no way Sarah would shoot with John in such close proximity. Then again, she was a good shot…

Somehow she couldn't bring herself to draw the weapon. Sarah had seen them kiss before, on stage during an acting performance, but this…this turned her stomach. It was sickening…disgusting even.

And yet, she still watched. Because this was her son making out with metal. With one of _them. _But what struck her and confused her the most was the humanity of Cameron's reaction, her responsiveness. She didn't have to do this. She didn't have to love John; that wasn't her mission. Her mission was to protect him. It wasn't programming that was fueling these emotions. It was just…emotion?

Sarah cursed herself. Now she was starting to sound like John. Whatever it was, it was unacceptable. She could not allow it. Slowly Sarah raised her Glock, taking aim, hearing Derek's words: _one shot to the chip, they don't get up…_

"Don't do it."

Sarah spun around at the sound of that sweet, familiar voice. When she saw the speaker, her mouth dropped open and her voice caught in her throat. "Kyle?"

Kyle Reese stood before her, just as he had when he'd helped her escape the hospital, just as he had stood by her side during the bloody leg surgery that followed. Except now, he seemed different. He was still her Kyle, his eyes were still kind. But she could see disappointment in them as well.

"You don't want to do this, Sarah," he said forcefully.

Sarah glanced back at her hands, at the gun that was still pointed at Cameron's head. "You don't understand."

"Actually, I do," Kyle replied. He took a step forward, placing his hands on top of Sarah's and slowly lowering the gun. "I know her in the future."

Sarah turned. "So she's gotten to you too?" _Kyle _was on Cameron's side? Had the cyborg corrupted everyone in the future?

"No, John Connor got to me," Kyle corrected easily. "I remember the first time I met her, the first time he brought her into the Connor Camp. The soldiers recognized her immediately; they knew what she was. Some went for their weapons. Maybe they thought they were protecting John Connor, I don't know. But John stepped in between Cameron and his men, protecting her." Kyle paused, looking at her with a curious expression on his face. "I used to wonder why he did that, why he would risk his life for her. She could have taken a few rounds. She may have had to be repaired, but she would have lived. So I didn't understand his actions at the time."

Kyle shook his head. "But I don't wonder anymore. He'd already lost you. He didn't want to lose anyone else he loved. Because the two of you are the most important people in the world to him."

"She's not people," Sarah said sourly.

Kyle pressed his lips together, shaking his head slowly. "See, that's how a lot of John's soldiers felt. Many didn't trust him after that. They felt that he was being corrupted by the machines. They felt that he was incapable of making good decisions. Even my own brother began to doubt him."

"But you didn't?"

"He's John Connor," Kyle replied with his familiar, sad yet kind, smile. "And he's my son. He's _our_ son. I'd die for John Connor. And I trusted him. Do you?"

Sarah bit her lip and turned away, her face crumbling. "I don't know."

Kyle remained silent, studying her. "I had a picture of you. Something John gave me." He smiled proudly. "You were my lucky charm. I used to wonder what you were thinking about in that picture. I used to imagine what it could be. Was it your son? Was it about the war? The machines? Judgment Day? Sometimes, Sarah, you're very hard to read." He shook his head slowly. "But not right now. I know exactly what you're thinking right now. You still can't let go of your hate."

"Kyle…" She didn't know how to explain. She's been trained, had it drilled into John, that the machines were the enemy. The Terminators were the evil ones in this war. How could she simply abandon all those years of mistrust and disdain, especially now that her son, the destined leader of mankind in the war against the machines, was falling in _love_ with one of them?How was she supposed to react to that? Just give in to John's belief that Cameron was different, that she truly was on his side? How could she trust John again after this?

Kyle had been watching quietly during her raging thoughts, and now he took her shoulders. "Let me tell you a story. On the day John Connor sent me back in time to save you, we were standing in the Time Displacement Chamber, waiting for the machine to be prepped. He was there, with Cameron, just waiting and thinking. And then he turned and looked at her, and I could see the hurt and pain on his face as he said, 'I don't think my mother ever truly trusted me.'"

Sarah looked away, fighting back angry tears.

"He was torn apart. And Cameron just looks at him and says, 'No, but she loved you.' And it was like something broke in John Connor. I could see he was flashing back to every memory of you he had; every time you'd been there for him, hugged him, loved him, comforted him, and the grief of your absence just finally took hold and he couldn't bear it anymore. It was the first time I'd ever seen John Connor cry."

Sarah clutched Kyle's hand tightly, squeezing her eyes shut. He smiled at her sadly and she saw the tears in his own eyes.

"And Cameron was right there, comforting him," Kyle continued. "And I'll never be able to thank her enough for what she did for him, by reminding him of your love. Because we'd all been waiting for this moment. For years, John Connor had endured so much loss and grief that he had built a wall up. It was as if he never felt the pain at all. It was like he was one of the machines. And we were all waiting…waiting for him to be human again. To _feel _again."

Kyle looked past Sarah, at young John and Cameron, who were still standing together in the moonlight. "But now I know that for the first years after Judgment Day, John Connor _had _to put up those walls to keep out the pain. Because he cared that much. Because he felt the pain of every death that came because of Judgment Day, because he wasn't able to stop it. He had to block the grief in order to do his job, to be the strong one in the time of catastrophe and hopelessness. He needed to be John Connor – the Great Military Leader. But on that day, when Cameron told him that, he once again became John Connor – the man.

"He looked up at me and said in the strongest and most desperate voice I'd ever heard him use, 'You do whatever it takes to save her. Whatever it takes. I _need _her.' And then he gave me this message for you, made me memorize it."

Sarah recognized the words as soon as Kyle began speaking them. "'Thank you, Sarah, for your courage through the dark years. I can't help you with what you must soon face, except to say that the future is not set. You must be stronger than you imagine you can be. You must survive or I will never exist.'"

Sarah glanced back over at her son, seeing him holding Cameron's hand as the two started walking down the path toward the cabins.

"He needs her," Kyle whispered.

And Sarah couldn't deny it any longer. She broke down, crying desperately into Kyle's strong, comforting arms. How could she have caused so much grief for her son? Why had she tried so hard to get rid of Cameron?

She slowly sank to the ground. After all she'd done to him, after all she'd put him through, could John ever trust her again?

Kyle crouched down beside her, looking directly at her, his kind, sad eyes boring into hers.

His voice was soft and loving when he spoke.

"On your feet, soldier."

* * *


	14. From Bloodstained Hands

_Sorry it's a little late. :( This is primarily a Cameron development chapter. Hope you all like it. _

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen:**

**From Blood-Stained Hands**

Sarah entered the small shed on the outskirts of the main campground where she and Derek had stored most of their weapons in anticipation of the Triple 8 attack. Derek was inside already, cleaning out his sniper rifle and double-checking all the other weapons. He must have been thinking the same thing she was.

The week was almost over. Which meant that if the Terminator was coming for Kyle Reese, it would be coming soon. But it wasn't the other Kyle that was at the forefront of her mind.

It was _her _Kyle.

What was on her mind was the image of her son and the machine lip-locked outside the mechanics lab in the moonlight. What was on her mind was the vision of Kyle, the stories he'd told her, the words he'd spoken. What was on her mind was Cameron.

"What?" Derek asked, obviously seeing the conflict on her face. "What's wrong?"

Sarah shook her head. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell Derek anything. If she had been ready to shoot Cameron upon seeing the kiss, then Derek would be ready to cut her head open, burn her in thermite, and crush her chip with his bare hands.

"What?" Derek demanded.

"I saw John…with…her."

Derek's jaw tightened. There was no need to explain who _her _was. "With?" he repeated. "As in…with?"

She nodded reluctantly. "As in kiss of death, as you called it."

Derek's eyes clouded as a dark shadow crossed his face, rage completely controlling him. "I'll burn it myself."

Sarah grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. Burning Cameron would be the absolute worst thing they could do. "Derek, stop," she commanded. "You do that, you burn John too. It would destroy him."

Derek scowled. "Or maybe it would save him."

Sarah stepped back. "I don't know anymore. What if John's right? What if she's different?"

"She's not different," Derek insisted vehemently. "She's manipulating him. I've told you from the start, she can't be trusted."

_John trusts her…Kyle trusts her… _"For the longest time, when I looked at her, all I could see was the metal endoskeleton underneath, the Terminator. Lately, I've been seeing her as John sees her; the girl instead of the machine."

That revelation caused almost as much shock on Derek's face as the news about the so-called death kiss. "You can't seriously be…"

"He needs me to believe in him, Derek," Sarah said desperately. "Maybe we were wrong." _Maybe Kyle is right. "_Maybe nothing is as it seems, even Cameron."

"Yeah, not as she seems," Derek agreed wholeheartedly. "Not human."

"Not human, yes," Sarah relented. "But maybe she's not as emotionless as we all believed. Maybe John's right. Maybe I need to start trusting him."

_Believe in me, Mom. I'll always need you. _

***********

John wandered around in the kitchen's backroom, glancing at the labels on some of the cardboard boxes. All the counselors were currently in a meeting and Cameron was supposed to be helping his mother get breakfast ready, which left him alone and bored.

_Maybe there's some crunchy Cheetos in one of these boxes…_

The door opened behind him and he turned to see Riley walk in, her eyes apologetic. "John, I want to apologize for what happened at the campfire last night. I shouldn't have mentioned Mexico. You're right. It was a mistake."

John shook his head, eyebrows narrowed. He was done playing games with Riley. "What are you trying to do? One minute you seem like you want to be my friend, and the next you're attacking Cameron. What aren't you telling me? What are you hiding?"

Riley looked away, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, John. I just…I know Cameron hates me. I guess I just figured if I could get her away from you…we could be friends again."

"Just friends?" John questioned. That couldn't be all she wanted.

"Yes," Riley agreed softly. "If that's what you want."

John still didn't understand. There was no way he could be friends with both Cameron and Riley. They didn't mesh well; both hated the other with a passion. He still hated seeing Riley in pain. He hated the fact that she was still an outcast at the camp, much as he and Cameron were.

_Empathy_, Cameron would say.

"I don't know, Riley," he said with a sigh. "I've already told you this won't work."

Riley took a step closer, forcing a smile. "John, please…"

John sighed. "Well, we are still on the same team, so I guess we do have to be at least civil towards each other…"

He heard the door open behind him, but Riley didn't seem to notice or care.

"Thank you, John, thank you!" she exclaimed, leaning up to kiss John on the cheek. John recoiled instantly and suddenly a hand grabbed onto Riley's shoulder, throwing her into a stack of boxes.

"Riley!" John cried, looking on in horror as Cameron stalked forward. "Cameron, what are you doing?"

Cameron replied in a low monotone. "I'm protecting you." John saw her left hand clench, the hand he'd worked on, the hand she'd insisted was broken, uncontrollable. She stalked over to where Riley had fallen and grabbed the other girl by the wrist.

"You're a threat to John," she said.

John took a small step forward, keeping his hands raised cautiously. "Cameron, let her go!"

"She's lying to you."

"I know, I know, but its okay," he replied. He caught a glimpse of Riley's frightened face. "We can work this out."

"Please, please let me go," Riley whispered, eyes brimming with tears.

"You can't be near John," Cameron replied. John thought he heard a bit of anger in her tone. "You can't stay here anymore, but I can't let you leave."

"Cameron!" John demanded. "Don't do this." This wasn't supposed to be happening…was she glitching again? Did her jealous streak run that deep? Was it a combination of everything Riley had done this week, the fact that Cameron knew Riley was hiding something, something potentially harmful to John…

"I have to protect you," Cameron replied. "She's a danger to you."

"Listen to me," John pleaded. "This isn't you. You're not like the others. You're not the enemy, remember? You're different. You won't do it."

Cameron's cold stare caught him off-guard. "Won't I?"

John drew in a shaky breath. "You're not like them," he repeated. "You have to do what's right. I've taught you to be good, show me you understand."

He saw her glance at Riley, hesitating. "She's a threat to you, John. She's trying to manipulate you."

So Cameron had noticed the same thing. "I don't love her!" he insisted vehemently. "Listen to me, Cameron! Please for me…don't let me have another death on my hands."

She looked up at him, and he knew there was only one way he could convince her of the truth. And that was to use words she understood, words she'd used and insisted were true. If she'd been telling the truth when she spoke them, she'd understand that he was too. If not…then it really didn't matter anymore anyway.

"Please, I love you! I love you, Cameron, and you love me!"

She reacted to it, recognized the words and John could feel his whole body trembling in anticipation of her reaction. Finally, he saw her grip relax and Riley yanked her wrist free, dropping to the ground and nearly crying with relief.

John closed his eyes, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She'd been so close…so close to ruining everything they'd been working towards, so close to crossing the line.

She may have gone about it the wrong way, but he knew that Cameron had been right about one thing.

Riley was not what she seemed.

***********

Riley could feel the unshed tears welling in her eyes as she sat on the cold floor, stunned and sobbing. She'd never been so scared in her life. So close to dying…being killed at the hands of John's cyborg, all for the sake of trying to save John's humanity. She had no idea how John was going to explain Cameron's mental breakdown. How would he make an excuse for the machine this time?

She knew where his priorities were. He'd checked on Cameron first, maybe to make sure she was still stable before he came to Riley's aid, looking worried and relieved at the same time. "Riley, I'm so sorry."

He was careful not to touch her, lest Cameron go off on her again. She rose shakily to her feet, letting her heart rate slowly return to normal before she answered him. "It's fine. I'm okay, John, really…"

John's face twisted. "Riley, I don't know what to say. She's just…she's…"

"Had a breakdown," Riley supplied. "Has to do with the metal plate in her head, right? The brain experiments?"

John seemed caught off guard, obviously not expecting his latest excuse to come from her. "Uh…yeah…"

Riley forced a smile. Why make it harder on him? She owed him that much after he just saved her life. "It can happen to anyone. A lot of the foster kids I was with had some mental problems too. They were less violent, but…I'm used to it."

John nodded slowly, a look of puzzlement on his face before he glanced up at Cameron.

It was then that Riley saw that the door to the counselor's meeting room was open slightly, and a familiar face was watching. Jesse turned away from the door, looking disappointed. Riley couldn't understand it. Had Jesse just seen what Cameron had nearly done to her? Hadn't Jesse promised that she wouldn't let Cameron hurt her?

Something else was going on here…something bigger than she knew. And Riley was determined to find out.

*************

Riley's behavior was still burned into his mind. He saw the absolute fear in her eyes as Cameron had stepped closer, a fear that was almost irrational…if Cameron was an ordinary girl. No, Riley had acted scared out of her mind.

She'd acted like Cameron was a Terminator.

But she couldn't know about the future. He hadn't told her anything. Was it just the knowledge that Cameron was dangerous, that somehow having a metal plate and brain issues made her more fearful than usual?

And what of her behavior afterward? The way she'd covered for him, the way she'd come up with a cover story before he could think of one. She could have called him out, had Cameron thrown out of camp, but she'd covered it up. He couldn't understand why she would do that. But Cameron was right. Riley was lying about something. She was hiding something.

He just didn't know what that something was.

John paused in the kitchen doorway, watching puzzled as Cameron stood over the sink, washing her hands. She'd been in here ever since they'd left the backroom. "What are you doing?"

Cameron didn't even look up. "Washing my hands."

John raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"There's too much blood on them."

John couldn't imagine how she could have gotten blood on her hands. She hadn't drawn any blood during the ordeal with Riley. Even so, it shouldn't have taken that long to scrub off. He walked up behind her, saying pointedly, "You've been doing that for ten minutes."

Cameron looked down at her hands and turned off the water. "There's a lot of blood."

John caught a glimpse of her hands, but didn't see anything on them. "You haven't killed anyone today. What's going on?"

"I read about it."

"About what? Washing hands?"

"Yes. It was in our English class," she stated. "Macbeth. Lady Macbeth helps her husband commit many murders in order to become ruler of the kingdom. Later on, she feels guilty and tries to wash her hands over and over again, trying to get rid of the blood that isn't there. She's trying to wash away the guilt."

John felt a small lump form in his throat and he almost wasn't able to speak. "And you feel guilty for killing so many people."

Cameron still wouldn't meet his eyes. "I have a list too. Enrique, the three men at the bowling alley, Dimitri and his sister Maria, Jordan…"

"You didn't kill Jordan," John reminded her quietly. "Or Dimitri and Maria."

"But I didn't help them either," Cameron replied. "And I stopped you from helping Jordan. I still caused their deaths."

John gave her a sad smile. The fact that she had learned to recognize that was a big step, a huge leap into morality. He stepped forward and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Then that means you're ahead of schedule too," he pointed out softly.

Cameron finally looked up. "With what?"

"What you need to learn."

**********

Cameron had said there was one other thing she needed to show him. John didn't know what it could be, simply followed her back to her cabin where she opened her travel pack and pulled out a stack of notes.

"Back at school, people wrote notes for Jordan to express their sadness," she replied. "Because crying wasn't enough. Notes can be used to express emotions. All emotions, not just sadness."

John stared at the thick pile of little papers, momentarily stunned. "Cameron…what is this?"

"Notes," she replied. "For everyone I killed."

John swallowed hard and picked up one that read: JORDAN. He unfolded it slowly, unsure of what to expect. It was short, in Cameron's distinct, perfect handwriting: _I'm sorry I stopped John from helping you_.

Aware of Cameron watching him silently, he sifted through another that read CHIMNEY BIRD: _I'm sorry I accidentally crushed you. It was unintentional. I was trying to set you free._ Another one was titled MARIA. It read: _You taught me that dance is the hidden language to the soul. I'm sorry I did not help save you_.

John set it down, catching sight of another buried deeper in the pile. He pushed a few more out of the way until he could see the name clearly.

It was his. JOHN.

He exhaled loudly before opening it up.

_John, I'm sorry I tried to kill you. You have to understand that it wasn't me. My chip was damaged and I had no control of myself. I would never do anything to hurt you, though I understand if you do not trust me anymore. You trusted me and I betrayed that trust. I am not completely fixed. There is still damage to my chip. I would ask that you self-terminate me so that I can no longer be a threat to you, but…I don't want to go. I don't want to go away from you. I am sorry for what happened on your birthday. I want you to know that I wasn't lying when I said I loved you. I do love you, John_.

At seeing those words, John Connor completely broke down, the tears flowing freely down his face. _Oh, Cameron, I'm so sorry…_He hadn't known. After the explosion, he'd been such a jerk to her, never realizing that her own feelings - yes _feelings -_ were coming to surface. That she was becoming aware of what they meant. He felt awful. He didn't deserve her undying love and devotion.

Cameron seemed troubled at his tears, kneeling beside him and attempting to comfort him. "I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

John smiled at her through the tears. "No, Cameron. You…you did something _right._"

She hadn't been lying when she said she loved him that day, just as he hadn't been lying when he'd said it to her, to keep her from killing Riley, from adding another name to the list he didn't know she had.

For a moment, he had seen into her. She'd opened up to him. She'd showed him things that made her seem like so much more than a machine. No other cyborg he knew had felt _guilt _the way she had.

It was real, it was different.

It was _human. _

All he could do was smile.

* * *


	15. There's a Storm Coming

_author's notes: Okay, so this chapter is when the action starts to pick up. I hope you all enjoy it!_

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* * *

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**Chapter Fifteen:**

**There's a Storm Coming**

_Trust. _

Throughout his week at camp, John Connor had seen the loss of trust, both from his mother and from Derek. They didn't trust Cameron and they didn't trust him.

He hated that.

Trust was key, vital. They couldn't continue doing what they did without trusting each other. They couldn't mend their fractured relationship without being able to trust each other.

But... in the past few days, he'd also seen a bizarre gain of trust as well, between Cameron and the horse that they were assigned to feed and ride. After all their work with it, the horse had finally come to trust Cameron; it no longer shied away from her because she was different. It knew she wasn't a threat.

Cameron's words rose in his mind. _Why can't Derek and Sarah see that? Why don't they understand that I'm not a threat to you?_

When she'd first asked that question, he said he didn't know the answer.

He still didn't know.

Animals weren't like people. They couldn't be fooled by a Terminator like a human could. This horse had known that Cameron wasn't human, but it had accepted her anyway because John had assured it that she was alright. The horse trusted Cameron because _he_ had trusted Cameron.

If only he could get his mother to be the same way…

Cameron stood silently by his side, her hand slowly brushing against the horse's side. John smiled and looked up at the creature with a gleam in his eye. "Come on, let's ride him."

She frowned. "I might break him."

John waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, this is one of the strongest horses, the one they sometimes stick really fat people on."

He was pleased to see that got a small smile out of her. "We'll be fine. He's tough."

John climbed up into the saddle and held out a hand to help Cameron up. Even though she didn't really need his assistance, she took hold of his hand and climbed up behind him. John felt the horse twitch, but it didn't try to throw them off.

He breathed a sigh of relief. A few days ago he wouldn't have dared to try riding the horse with Cameron.

It was amazing what a little bit of trust could do.

Cameron put her hands securely around his waist and John grabbed the reigns.

"John!"

John turned towards the voice to see his uncle running up the dirt path. "I need you for a second."

John glared down at Derek, his face growing sullen. His uncle had chosen this moment to intervene on purpose. "Why?" he asked coolly.

"Your teammate's having some problems with her horse," Derek explained, slightly out of breath from running. "I've been watching what you did with your horse and…her." His mistrustful glance at Cameron only incensed John further. "If you can make it like a machine, you can help this girl."

"Who is it?" John asked, knowing full well the answer.

"Riley."

John shook his head. "Riley didn't send you over to get me, Derek." She wouldn't have done that, not after what had happened earlier with Cameron in the kitchen. "This was your idea." He shot his uncle an angry scowl. Derek just didn't know when to give up. "I see what you're trying to do, and it won't work. Tell _Riley_ I'm sorry, but right now, I'm going horseback riding."

He didn't give Derek a chance to reply, simply jerked on the reigns and started the horse up the trail.

*********

Derek Reese sat motionless in front of the computer screen, his eyes barely focused on it. For some reason, he couldn't get John's angry face out of his mind; couldn't stop thinking about the way his nephew had defiantly turned the horse around and trotted off, riding the animal with Cameron behind him.

John had called his bluff; Riley hadn't asked for assistance. In fact, Riley hadn't been doing much good at all lately. Her fear of Cameron seemed to have multiplied beyond normal. He grunted in disgust. She would have to get past that if she hoped to win John over.

He wasn't even sure that was possible anymore.

_Just because_ some_ machines are out there to kill us doesn't mean they all are. Should they all be condemned for the acts of one? Skynet's our enemy. Not her. She's different. I _need _her…_

John's words continued to haunt his thoughts. They went against everything he'd ever believed, but what if… what if his nephew was right? What if not all the machines were evil?

In the future, everyone trusted John Connor with their lives. Everyone would die for him. John's word was trusted; his decisions accepted. Of course not everyone liked what he decided, but they obeyed him. Because John Connor was in charge and he knew what he was doing. But had young John reached that point yet? Maybe even the great John Connor was not infallible.

And what of the future Jesse spoke of? Did Cameron really mean to insert herself in such a way as to take over the resistance? Was Jesse's hatred making her story more exaggerated?

He still wasn't sure what he felt when it came to Cameron. John constantly insisted that Cameron was different; that she wasn't like the other Terminators. Was he right? Sarah seemed to be slowly opening up to the possibility. If Skynet could become self-aware and choose world domination, could Cameron do the same and choose to fight for peace? Were there other machines that would rebel against Skynet?

Was it just part of their programming? _No_, Derek answered himself. He knew that wasn't right either. John had learned from Cameron that she was able to override her own programming when she refused to terminate him.

Free will. Of a sort.

So John was right on one case. Cameron was different.

And, Derek also had to admit as he turned his eyes back to his computer screen, she had her uses. It was she who'd hacked into the security mainframe of the camp and given him access to monitor the security cameras.

Of course, they were still near LA, so the camp had several security guards. But Derek knew that the security force up at the camp entrance would do little against a Triple 8 attack. At least this way, Derek could have some advance warning about when the Terminator would arrive.

He heard some activity from the speakers and turned up the volume, listening into the feed. On one of the camera screens, the front entrance, he saw a man stalking up to the security gates.

Derek's eyes widened. The walk, the movements…his Triple 8 radar was going off in his head. Over the feed, he heard the guard ask what the Terminator's business was. The machine said nothing, merely took a step forward and grabbed the guard by the neck.

Derek heard two gunshots from the guard's companion, but the Triple 8 didn't let go. Instead, it pulled out a gun of its own, quickly shooting the other guard before crushing the first's neck.

Derek was out of his seat before the final murder happened.

*********

Sarah was in the kitchen wiping up the counters from dinner when Derek burst through the door, a frantic but determined look on his face.

"It's here," he said crisply. "Let's get the guns."

Sarah dropped the rag and dashed out the door. "How long?"

"I don't know," Derek replied, keeping up his quick pace. "It's at the entrance right now. And it's on foot. It'll take maybe ten minutes to get back here."

"Where's John?"

Derek scowled. "Where do you think?"

_With Cameron. _For once, Sarah was grateful for that. The two of them burst into the little shack where they'd hidden all their weapons and supplies. She grabbed her rifle and loaded it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Derek start packing some grenades into his backpack, along with a wide array of different types of guns and rifles. "How many weapons do you need?" she questioned with a disproving frown. "You only have two arms, Derek."

Derek shrugged, not pausing his efforts. "I'm a soldier. I like to keep my options open."

Sarah stared at him for a moment. "No grenades."

"What?"

"There's too many people around," Sarah insisted. He'd blow up the entire camp. Not exactly subtle.

Derek looked indignant, and Sarah saw Cameron walk in, cocking her head, obviously not expecting the two of them to be in there. Her eyes trailed to Derek's hand.

"Grenades?" she questioned.

"Yeah, Sarah doesn't want them," Derek growled.

"This is camp," Cameron reminded him. "There are kids around."

Derek glared at her. Sarah glanced behind Cameron, not seeing John.

"We've got a Triple 8 on the way," Sarah said, an edge to her voice. "Coming for Kyle. Where's--."

Before she could even say her son's name, Cameron was gone, urgently rushing away to find him.

Dedication. Devotion. Love.

All things a machine should not be capable of.

Derek was staring after Cameron as well, eyes filled with confusion, mistrust, even hate.

"Focus, Reese," Sarah ordered, grabbing her gun.

********

John walked alone down the dirt path that led towards the main hall where the night activity was about to take place. He still didn't understand why they had movie night at camp. Anyone could watch a movie at home. But at least Cameron had offered to go get him some popcorn from the Connor's hidden supply shack. He'd seen Derek stash a box with their supplies when they were packing for the trip.

Besides, sitting through a movie next to Cameron was hardly something he was going to complain about.

Before he reached the doors, he ran into Riley, who appeared to be on her way out of the building. Her eyes flashed around him, apparently anxiously searching for Cameron. When she'd confirmed that John's killer girlfriend wasn't around, her eyes softened and he saw the fear was gone from her eyes. Now there was only guilt. "John…"

John shifted his weight uneasily. What did Riley want now? So far friendship hadn't been enough for her. Derek had been trying to force Riley on him, and Riley hadn't been helping the situation. He thought she would have kept her distance from both him and Cameron after Cameron's mental breakdown, but apparently the near-death experience was not enough.

It didn't matter. Not anymore.

He was done playing games.

"What do you want, Riley?" he asked tiredly.

"John," Riley began, biting her lip. "I need to talk to you. Please."

John drew in a breath, keeping his body rigid. "About what?"

"I'm sorry about everything that's gone on this week," Riley began. She looked disheartened by his stiff behavior, and he knew he had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. "I'm sorry that I tried to take you from Cameron. But you have to understand where I'm coming from. You have to understand that I care about you too."

John kept his eyes forward, resisting the urge to scan the surroundings. Where was Cameron when he needed her? It shouldn't take that long for her to go to the supply shed and steal Derek's popcorn…

Riley's voice turned desperate. "John, I'm sorry. I just…I love you too."

John hesitated. Even her words seemed a little forced, without any true meaning. Almost as if she was saying them just to say them. What's more, he didn't feel any kind of emotional reaction to her exclamation. Not like when Cameron spoke the same words, when his heart warmed and his pulse raced. When he'd kissed Cameron, it had been a thousand times more meaningful than when he'd done the same with Riley. With Riley, there was nothing, only friendship if that was good enough for her. And so far, it hadn't been.

He turned to look at her. "Riley, I wanted us to be friends, but you have to understand something. Even if I felt the same way, it could never work between us."

An edge came to her eyes. "Why not?"

John bit his lip. How could he explain this without actually revealing the intimate details of his fragile existence? "Because we come from two different worlds. My world is…is dangerous."

Riley laughed humorlessly. "The world is a dangerous place, John."

John shook his head. _You have no idea. _"Mine more so. What you saw in Mexico, that man who was shooting at us…that's…that's just half of it. You don't belong in my world."

"And Cameron does?" Riley accused.

_Yes. Thank God, yes. "_Cameron is…like me. She's a part of this too." He felt a surge of warmth in his heart at being able to say that.

It only seemed to infuriate Riley further. "Why can't I be part of it? Why can't you trust me?"

_Trust me. _

"Riley, I…I can never have a normal life," he said strongly. "But you can. You have a life I envy sometimes."

He saw a cloud come over her face and her eyes flicked away. John frowned, noticing the change immediately. Something was wrong; there was something in Riley's gaze, he could see it. Cameron's words came rushing back to him, her solemn warning.

_Nothing is as it seems…_

"John," Riley began, voice low. "There's…there's something I have to tell you…"

He was curious now, but before Riley could say another word, he heard Cameron's voice shouting his name as she ran up the path. There was an edge to her tone that he'd come to recognize.

It meant danger.

He was instantly on alert. "What's wrong?" he demanded as she reached his side.

"He's here. Now."

_He. Terminator._

John spun to Riley. "Get inside the main hall. Keep everyone there. Don't let them leave."

Riley's eyes flashed with a mix of fear and anger. "John, please, just tell me…"

He grabbed her shoulders tightly in an attempt to convey the seriousness of his request. "This is not a joke! Stay inside!"

He turned roughly, leaving her standing there, mouth open in shock, no doubt confused and afraid. But he couldn't care about that right now.

He and Cameron had a Terminator to stop.

* * *


	16. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Chapter Sixteen:**

**Something Wicked This Way Comes**

John Connor kept pace with Cameron, feeling his adrenaline start pumping with anticipation. _He's here. Now, _she had said. A Terminator was coming.

"It's not Cromartie," Cameron reported as they hurried up the path. "It's here for Kyle Reese."

_Kyle?_ John slowed to a stop, frowning._ Where the heck is he? _"Why aren't you protecting him?" he demanded.

She gave him a patronizing look. "My mission is to ensure the survival of John Connor. I had to make sure you were safe."

He appreciated her concern, truly. "But the reason we came to this place is to save him," he protested.

"He's not the right Kyle Reese," Cameron reminded him. "You are a higher priority for the Terminator to target. I had to make sure you were safe first."

"Then you _were_ going to save Kyle?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

Cameron stared at him. "I don't want another name on my list."

John swallowed the lump in his throat, understanding perfectly. He kept a list to. A list of everyone who died for him, same as Cameron did. He cleared his throat, focusing on the task at hand.

"Where's Mom and Derek?"

"Getting the weapons."

"So where's Kyle?" John asked. "Do you have his schedule? We need to get to him before the Triple 8 does."

Cameron's eyes focused internally for a moment, probably calling up a database of camper schedules she'd illegally downloaded during a night patrol. "He's participating in the evening arts and crafts project."

John snorted in disgust as he started walking towards the crafts hall. "Great, that's real soldier's work. If the tin cans weren't so dense, they'd probably figure out he's the wrong Reese."

Cameron stopped short and John turned around, confused by her reaction.

"The tin cans…" Cameron stated.

His brow furrowed, puzzled. What had he said? "What? What's wrong?"

"In the past, you've always said 'you' when referring to machines. You didn't couple me in with them this time."

"That's cuz you're not one of them," John replied, knowing full well she would argue him.

"I'm still a machine."

"You're Cameron," he corrected. The Terminators didn't have feelings; they couldn't love. They didn't have morals, didn't keep lists of people they'd killed, didn't try to wash their hands free of blood, didn't write notes of remorse to people they had killed or hurt.

Cameron did.

He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "You're just Cameron."

She tilted her head to the side before nodding. "Yes. Thank you for explaining."

John's mind quickly snapped back to the seriousness of the situation and he started running again towards the crafts hall. Less than a minute later, he burst through the door, earning several sharp gasps from startled campers. His eyes scanned the crowd, locking on Kyle Reese who was sitting at a table in the corner, hard at work painting a ceramic bunny.

John would have rolled his eyes if they weren't in mortal danger. Ignoring all the other campers, he ran over to Kyle. The young boy glanced up at him and Cameron with a smile that soon faded when he saw the urgent look on John's face.

John held out his hand. "Come with me if you want to live," he ordered.

Kyle's eyes widened and he quickly looked from John to Cameron before he grasped John's hand.

John yanked him out of the seat and out the door, turning to Cameron as soon as they were outside. "I'll get him to safety," he said. "You take out that Triple 8. Keep my mom safe."

Kyle's eyes widened it utter shock as Cameron withdrew her nine millimeter from behind her back, loading it smoothly.

"Promise," she agreed.

********

Derek Reese waited in the shadowy forest, crouched next to Sarah and Cameron, his eyes focused on the gravel path the Triple 8 would be coming from. His hands tightened around his sniper rifle. It wouldn't be long now. He heard some twigs crunch behind him and turned to see John approaching, his face barely visible in the moonlight.

Sarah and Cameron both turned to face the young future General, both with expressions of worry. "What are you doing here?" Sarah hissed.

"You were supposed to get Kyle to safety," Cameron added.

John held up his hands in surrender. "I did," he replied. "I locked him in the kitchen's storage room and ordered him to be quiet until I come back. He was pretty stunned. He's not going anywhere."

Derek lined up his sight again on the road. "You shouldn't have come," he said, purposely keeping his voice low. "You're a much higher priority target for the Triple 8 than Kyle is."

John's eyes were determined, serious, when he responded. "I want to help."

Derek knew that look, knew that face. This was the John he knew in the future. This was the face of the leader of mankind.

The face of John Connor.

He remembered asking John on the way home from Presidio Alto whether he was talking to John Connor or John Baum. He hadn't realized it then, but now he suddenly knew for sure.

John Baum had been gone for a long time.

Maybe he had never even existed.

Derek tore his gaze away from John before focusing back on the road. "We should all split up," he suggested. "Us being together in the same spot makes a bigger target."

He didn't wait for Sarah – or John's – permission before creeping off to a position up the room a few paces, crouching behind a large rock and gripping his rifle tightly.

It was deathly quiet in the woods, with only the occasional cricket chirping and owl hooting to break the silence. Derek listened intently, waiting for something, anything to announce the Triple 8's arrival.

A twig snapped up on the path and Derek saw a moonlit figure walking down, a gun in hand. Derek couldn't see enough of its face to confirm that it was the Terminator that had killed the security guards, but he didn't need to. He aimed his sniper rifle and shot.

The Terminator's head kicked back and the machine fired, hitting dangerously close to Derek's head. _Infrared vision, _Derek thought with a curse. He ducked behind the boulder as the Triple 8 drew closer. It paused near his hiding place and several shots rang out, coming from Sarah, John, and Cameron.

The rounds did minor damage to the Triple 8. It simply stalked forward and raised its weapon, shooting at the area where the Connors were. Derek saw Cameron take a few hits for John as his nephew and Sarah retreated toward the camp.

The Terminator started following them.

_No! _Derek thought. _I can't let that thing get near John! _He leaped out of his hiding place and fired at the Triple 8's head. It turned and Derek fired again as the Terminator started coming for him, raising its weapon.

Derek took off into the woods, making sure the machine was still following him. It must not have been close enough to recognize John otherwise it would have completely ignored Derek and continued after its primary target, ruining Derek's entire plan. Sarah had made him leave the grenades, but he didn't need them. He'd set up charges in the woods, just like he had with the Bedell Terminator. All he had to do was lead it into the explosives.

The noise would draw attention, definitely, but at least it would take the Terminator down long enough for Derek to cut out its chip. He kept running, hearing the Terminator's methodical, running footsteps behind him.

He heard a rifle cock and instantly took a sharp turn, narrowly avoiding the bullet shot that rang out. The metal was closer than he'd thought.

Unfortunately, when Derek took the sharp turn, his foot slipped on some wet leaves and he went down hard, smacking his head and groaning.

_Get up! _He urged himself. _We're almost there! _He had to keep moving, had to get up, had to get the Terminator into the charges, had to save John...

_On your feet, soldier! _He shouted at himself. He rolled to his knees and froze, spotting the boots standing no more than a foot in front of him. His eyes rose to stare into the impassive face of death. The Triple 8 cocked its head, studying Derek, identifying him, then raising its gun.

Derek closed his eyes. _Do it! Do it, kill me! _he screamed inside his head. He'd failed. He was going to die. He would die never getting to apologize to John, never getting to tell his nephew that no matter what had happened between them, he still loved him. John would always remember the way Derek hadn't trusted him.

Derek squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the shot, the pain. He'd failed John Connor.

He heard the blast from the rifle, but surprisingly, he felt no pain. His eyes opened slowly, his mind scrambling for an explanation. _Am I dead already?_

No.

He glanced up at the Triple 8. A small chunk out of the right side of its head was missing, just deep enough to effectively destroy part of its chip. The Terminator's eyes were dead and its body slowly dropped to the ground heavily, revealing Cameron standing behind it, her Remington 870p shotgun in her hand, the barrel still smoking.

How did she get here? Hadn't she run off with John, to protect him? There was only one explanation for her presence and it was blowing his mind.

She'd followed him. She'd come after him and saved his life.

Derek's mind was a whirlwind of confusion. "Why'd you do that?" he demanded. That was the big question. Why would she have saved him? Why would she have actually _come after him? _"You could have just let me die," he continued. In fact, everything would have been better for Cameron if she'd let him die. He was the one who was constantly berating her and accusing her. "You know I hate you. You could have easily gotten me out of the way." He shook his head, still unable to comprehend her bizarre behavior. "Why save me?"

Cameron's eyes remained locked on his as she replied calmly, "Because human life is sacred. _Your_ life is sacred."

Derek's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in stunned silence. She'd saved him because she _chose _to? Because he was _worth_ it? After all he'd done to her?

"Sacred…" he repeated, swallowing hard. "Did John teach you that? Morals?"

She nodded briefly. "Yes."

"You didn't just listen though," Derek added, talking more to himself at this point, reasoning with himself. "You…you did it." Cameron remained silent, watching him, and he shook his head, frowning. "John's tried to teach Terminators the value of life in the future. They understand, but they don't comprehend. They don't put it into action." The machines didn't respect human life beyond what they were programmed or reprogrammed to do. None of them had ever _chosen _to save a life just because. They just didn't _work _like that.

He hesitated, a small part of him appalled at what he was about to say. "Maybe you are different."

She didn't speak, but he did see the corner of her mouth turn up slightly. Then she turned to walk away, back toward John and Sarah.

But he couldn't let this go unaddressed. "Hey!"

She turned back around, seeming mildly puzzled. Derek offered her a small, reluctant smile, in that one gesture apologizing for pretty much everything he'd ever said, everything he'd ever accused her of. Because after what had just happened…none of it really mattered anymore. Because John Connor had been right. John Connor was always right.

"...Thanks," he said.

She returned his smile. "You're welcome."

As she walked away to join John, Derek poured out a package of thermite onto the downed Triple 8's body and lit the flare, watching the metal burn and melt into vapor, his mind still trying to decide what to think.

_John was right. _If he could turn a stone cold killer like Cameron into a hero who could appreciate the value of human life, maybe he was trustworthy after all. Maybe he wasn't corrupted in the future, just misunderstood. Misunderstood because no one in the future could even imagine the impossible, the fact that John would be able to instill morals in his reprogrammed Terminators. But John knew better than anyone, because he'd already done it.

John Connor would be trusted.

Derek stared out into the woods, surprised at his own change of heart. Here he was, and just an hour ago he'd been just as eager to kill Cameron as Jesse. But both Jesse and Connor could not be right. John could not be both trustworthy and corrupted at the same time. Cameron could not be evil and good at the same time. So if John Connor was right, Jesse was wrong. He could only trust one of them. And if there was one thing Derek Reese knew for sure, it was this:

He no longer was okay with Jesse's plan.

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_author's note: So, this chapter focuses more on Derek's development and how he's starting to come around. I hope you all enjoyed it!_


	17. Today is the Day

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**Chapter Seventeen:**

**Today is the Day**

As soon as Riley saw John walking up the path, she ran up to him, her eyes wide with genuine worry. "What's wrong?" she demanded. "Why did you have us hide? What happened?" Would he lie to her again? Just like in Mexico? She saw his face tense.

"It was a skunk," he explained.

Riley almost laughed at the absurdity. _Stupid. _He was lying. She could see his "tell." Who on earth would believe such a ridiculous excuse? She already had a pretty good idea of what had actually happened. A Terminator had come. Maybe for John himself, maybe for little Kyle Reese. She knew of a Kyle Reese in the future. He'd supposedly been one of John's best soldiers.

"A skunk," she repeated dubiously. "Why was that such a big emergency?" He'd clearly not gone over his cover story yet, not expecting to see her before the Connor clan had skipped off again.

To her surprise, it was Cameron who spoke up evenly, "We're having a shortage of tomato juice. If everyone got sprayed, we would not be able to get rid of the smell."

As much as she hated to admit it, Cameron's logic was flawless. Riley felt disgusted at the revelation. John and Cameron even _thought _alike now. They were in synch.

"But I heard gunshots," she protested, still trying to poke holes in his logic, trying to trap him so he would finally tell her the truth. "Surely the skunk wasn't armed."

John shrugged. "We _do _have a BB Gun shooting range. They were probably still out there practicing."

He said it so casually, carelessly.

The easy way he lied to her hurt.

**********

Riley wasn't asleep.

She _couldn't_ sleep, her mind still trying to work through several situations in her head, the most predominant being John with Cameron. So she'd simply settled for staring at the ceiling, listening to the heavy breathing of all the other girls in the cabin. Only a short while after everyone else had fallen asleep, she heard the floor creak and the door open slowly and cautiously. She sat up, looking down from the top bunk to see the door click shut again.

She glanced around the room, noticing that Cameron's bunk was empty. She was gone again, probably out to meet John. They'd done this every night and no one had ever noticed. Riley curled her lip angrily. Cameron may have fooled everyone else in the cabin…

_But not me. _

She climbed down from her bunk and poked her head out the door, seeing Cameron walking towards John's cabin. She felt a pang in her heart. This sneaking out to see him…their midnight walks…it shouldn't be something John was doing with a machine. Of course, there was a lot of things he shouldn't be doing with the machine.

Sure enough, John met Cameron outside with a pleased smile and the two began walking down to the lake dock. Riley followed at a distance, careful not to get too close lest Cameron hear her following.

John and Cameron walked out to the edge of the dock and sat down. Riley crouched behind a tree, watching them from a distance. She could hear their voices speaking softly but couldn't make out the words.

Then she saw John look over at Cameron, both of them staring for a few seconds before John leaned forward and kissed her.

_It_.

The machine.

Riley jerked her head back behind the tree, squeezing her eyes shut tightly to stop the tears. It wasn't right, wasn't _fair_! Cameron wasn't even real and he loved her more! Everything had gone wrong.

She poked her head out once more, seeing Cameron respond by kissing John back. Riley felt her blood boil watching the scene. It shouldn't be happening like this. The cyborg shouldn't be able to feel, that's why she was a machine! Riley closed her eyes again, unable to shake the horrible realization. They did this every night. Walking, talking, kissing under the cover of the moonlight. Did John know what he was doing? Did he understand that he was destroying the future?

She watched them for a while as they sat staring out at the lake. Soon, she saw John's head slowly dip until it was resting on Cameron's shoulder. Soon he was asleep, the future savior of humankind asleep against the machine.

Riley let herself sink down to the ground, putting her head in her hands. Everything she'd done had been for nothing. She'd tried. She'd obeyed Jesse. She'd _tried_ to save John. But John didn't want saving.

She'd failed, completely and utterly. There was no reversing the process now, no trying to salvage what remained of their fragile relationship. She and John were done, even as friends. She'd have to return to Jesse, but how would the soldier react to Riley's failure? Again?

She could always run. But where would she go? She had no home, no money, no anything. She supposed she could always tell John the truth, but then again, he'd most likely be too angry with her for deceiving him. He certainly hadn't been paying her any attention as of late. Maybe he wouldn't even care.

If she was going to extremes, she could always ask the machine to terminate her. She was sure Cameron would be all too willing. But Riley knew that she couldn't just give in. She wasn't a coward. One didn't survive in Skynet's future if you couldn't face the hardships.

But _those_ hardships and the ones she was faced with now were completely different. And yet, the emotional response was exactly the same.

Watching John she felt a deep sense of loss. She'd come to care for him. Not love him, not truly. Not the way he loved Cameron, or the way Cameron loved him, but they'd been friends. She missed that, but it wasn't John's fault. It wasn't even Cameron's fault.

She had no one to blame but herself.

She desperately longed to tell him the truth, to beg his forgiveness, plead for his friendship. She wasn't sure if she was ready to accept Cameron, but it had to be better than whatever Jesse would offer her. The soldier had made it painfully clear that she was not Riley's friend. If Riley came back and reported failure…she wasn't sure what would happen. Last time, she'd been granted one hour. But now, she had no foster family, no John, no where to go. If Jesse kicked her out again, what would she do?

It didn't matter. She had to return. She had no other option. John would hate her if he found out the truth. Cameron would kill her. Heck, John's _mother _might kill her. There was no alternative. Today was not a day for running or for taking the coward's way out with another suicide attempt.

Her only option was to return to Jesse. And hope that she had a plan.

********

Riley took a deep breath, knocked on the door, and prepared herself for the verbal onslaught that would inevitably follow. Not only was she disobeying Jesse's orders not to show up at the hidden cabin, but she was also reporting failure, something Jesse didn't take to kindly.

As she stood waiting outside, she suddenly felt like a fool. Jesse wouldn't help her, wouldn't understand. She should have just run. Maybe there was still time…

Jesse opened the door cautiously until she saw Riley standing there. Without a word, she grabbed Riley by her shirt collar and yanked her inside, slamming the door behind her.

Riley stumbled into the dresser and Jesse crossed her arms, her face betraying her controlled anger. "Why are you here?"

"I tried," Riley began hesitantly. "I tried over and over again, but nothing's working. I can't do it. Everything I've tried has turned against me."

_You may as well kill me now. I have nothing left._ Maybe it would have been better if she'd succeeded in her earlier suicide attempt.

Jesse remained silent for a moment before she went over to her bed and began wiping off the barrel of a pistol. Riley's eyes widened in fear, but Jesse merely pursed her lips. Despite the rough entrance, she didn't seem overly angry at Riley. Yes, she was ticked that Riley had showed up at the cabin after being explicitly ordered not to. But she didn't seem too angry at the reported failure. Something was off, Riley realized. Jesse should have been enraged.

Unless she already knew.

But who would have told her how far gone John was? She didn't think Jesse had revealed herself to any of the Connors. But she was far too complacent to not have had an advance warning.

"So, we just have to go to plan B," Jesse observed. "John is obviously beyond the point of no return."

Plan A. Plan B. Riley had thought Plan A was for John to fall in love with her. But something was wrong. Jesse had known she'd failed before she even said a word… Riley frowned. "What was Plan A?"

Jesse's eyes narrowed slightly. "Plan A was for you to get John Connor to fall in love with you."

Riley was good at picking up lies, at finding the tells. John had one, nearly everyone at camp had one, excluding Cameron. Jesse had one too, and Riley could see it now. "You're lying!" she blurted out. "That was never the plan…"

If the plan was for John to fall in love with Riley, it would have been counter-productive if Cameron had killed her that day in the cafeteria storeroom. That day, she had seen Jesse watching. Replaying the images in her mind, Riley could remember it now, the flash of emotion on Jesse's face.

Disappointment.

Riley had been too relieved and frightened at the time to really contemplate Jesse's behavior, but with a rush, everything clicked into place, and Riley's mouth opened in stunned silence.

"I understand now," she breathed. "You were right there in the cafeteria when Cameron nearly killed me. You didn't do anything to stop her! You didn't even try! And now I understand why." Her voice broke. "I was supposed to die! She was supposed to kill me!"

Jesse's reaction was barely noticeable, well hidden, but Riley could see her lips tighten, her eyes squint for a fraction of a second. "That's ridiculous."

"No, it's not," Riley said strongly, growing bolder. She should have known this from the beginning. She should have known that Jesse didn't honestly believe John would abandon Cameron for Riley. "Because you knew that's the only thing that would turn John against her. She was supposed to kill me!"

Riley glanced away, shaking her head in astonished disbelief. "But that didn't work, did it? Because of what happened in Canada. Because I let her win. Admit it. Say it!"

Jesse was silent for a moment. "Yes. That was Plan A."

With the admission in the air, Riley's resolve began to crumble. Her eyes flicked to the gun that was still sitting on Jesse's bed. "How could you do this to me? I trusted you!"

Jesse's face twisted and she looked away, biting her lip. Riley moved instantly, taking advantage of the other soldier's momentary distraction. She snatched up the gun, aiming the barrel at Jesse's head, her hand gripping it tightly, eyes blazing with determination and hate.

Jesse remained surprisingly calm. "You don't want to do that."

"Why not?" Riley cocked the gun, making sure she stayed out of Jesse's reach. If the soldier was trying to trick her, it wasn't going to work.

"Because you still care about John."

_That _stopped Riley in her tracks. Her grip on the gun relaxed ever so slightly. How dare she bring John into this! Jesse smirked at Riley's reaction.

"You still care about him," she stated. "So you need to finish your task. Put the gun down."

_I'll be doing John a favor by killing you. _Riley's grip tightened. "What does this have to do with –"

"By surrendering to Cameron in Canada, you brought them closer together," Jesse explained irritably. "Cameron knows John belongs to her, so she no longer feels threatened by you. There's no need for her to kill you. Which means John and Cameron stay together. You've saved your own life, Riley," she added, her voice edged with bitterness. "But you've taken his."

Riley could feel the shock on her face. "No, that's not true…" John's fate…it _couldn't _be her fault! She'd been trying to save him…

"We haven't changed the future yet, Riley," Jesse said. "Cameron will still be there, still be manipulating him. All because of what you did. But we can fix your mistake, and I need your help to do it. If we can't get John to turn on her, we'll just remove her from the picture."

_I have to do this…for John…it's all for John, always for John. _Riley slowly lowered the gun. "How?"

Jesse's mouth set in a firm, determined line.

"Force."

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_author's note: So just like last chapter was more Derek development, this one is focused on Riley. But we're getting down to the wire, so everything will connect in the next chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it!_


	18. Treason Has Done Its Worst

_author's note: Okay, first of all I'm very sorry for the late update. We went camping for Labor Day (as in no technology) and just got back like an hour ago. I tried to post the chapter Friday morning before I left but for some reason it wouldn't let me log-on. Not sure what happened there, but here it is now!_**

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**Chapter Eighteen:**

**Treason Has Done Its Worst**

John took a deep breath as he followed his mother out of the kitchen. Things seemed to have calmed down since the Triple 8 had been destroyed. Kyle was safe, their job was finished. There was no point in them sticking around to finish out the last few days of camp. And he especially didn't really want to deal with Riley anymore. She was already suspicious of him, so why hang around and make matters worse.

Unfortunately, his mother didn't seem quite ready to leave. Maybe she still felt that he needed some time to be normal.

"Our job is done here, right?" he protested. "We can go?"

Sarah sighed. "Why don't you participate in the last activity, okay? I hear it's a scavenger hunt."

"Scavenger hunt," he retorted. "Yeah, that's exactly what I came here to do."

Sarah gave him a look. "Why do you have to be so sarcastic? Just do it. Anyways, Derek and I need to pack up the supplies we brought, and you can say goodbye to your friends."

She started off as John scoffed and shook his head. "What friends?" he murmured.

He met Cameron outside and they headed to the main hall, where head counselor Dave was handing out the list for the scavenger hunt. Each team was given a copy while Dave briefly explained the rules.

"This is supposed to be a fun event, but it _is _also a challenge," he warned playfully. "This won't be a Sunday picnic, you know!"

"No," Cameron agreed. "It's definitely not a Sunday picnic. It's Friday." She glanced over at John. "Do you want me to let you win?"

"What? No, no," John replied with a grin. She may have beaten him at every other event this week, minus the canoe race she'd been grounded from, but it wouldn't be any fun if she _let _him win. "Go at your pace and we'll see who wins, okay?"

Cameron nodded her consent and headed off to join her team.

**********

Riley had managed to slip away from her scavenger hunt group when they were halfway through the list. No one even noticed her absence. She tracked down Cameron's group and tailed them for a while at a distance, trying to formulate a plan. Jesse had told her she needed to get Cameron into the warehouse - more specifically, the supply closet inside the warehouse.

Riley wasn't sure of the details of Jesse's plan but if the other soldier planned on trapping Cameron in the supply closet, it would definitely be poetic justice. Riley shuddered, remembering the time Cameron had locked her in the school's prop closet during the Romeo and Juliet play.

Finally, an idea formed in her head. She took a deep breath, mentally counted to three, and put on a distressed face before rushing up to Cameron.

"Cameron!" she cried, getting the girl cyborg's attention instantly. "John's in trouble."

Cameron instantly stopped, abandoning her group and walking towards Riley. "Where is he?"

"Some of Jason's friends locked him in the supply closet in the warehouse," Riley explained. "John's strong, but there were too many of them. I would have helped him out, but the door is locked and I can't get it open."

"What makes you think I can?"

Riley's breath caught in her throat. Had she just made a fatal mistake? Was Cameron testing her? "Because…you're stronger than me," she managed finally. "Isn't that what John said?"

Cameron continued to stare for a minute before finally nodding. "Yes. John did say that."

She must have concluded that Riley was telling the truth, or at least thought it best to check out the situation, because she took off towards the warehouse. Riley kept pace with her, purposely staying a few yards behind to make Cameron believe she was outrunning her.

But when Cameron yanked open the door to the warehouse, Riley skidded to a stop. An unexpected wave of guilt washed over her as Cameron entered the room and she hoped the cyborg would not pick up on it. Machine or not, in all essence, she was sending Cameron to her death. Jesse would rip out her chip and burn the body. She would be thorough. Nothing would be left. She wouldn't settle for merely stopping Cameron. She was dead set on destroying her.

Riley cursed herself. When had she started thinking of the machine as _Cameron? _John, obviously, thought of her as human, but Riley had always been fully aware of what lay underneath. Cameron had never liked her, that much was certain. Riley had very nearly given up in Canada because of what Cameron had done to her. But she couldn't pretend that the girl-machine didn't care about John.

Even Riley herself would never love John as much as Cameron did. Riley didn't risk life and limb on a daily basis just to keep John alive. Riley wasn't there for John during the hard times in his life when he had no one to lean on. Riley wasn't the one who always stood by him, no matter how she was treated.

She hadn't known John Connor that well in the future. She'd been a tunnel rat, living off garbage, hiding from the machines. But she heard things, stories, rumors. She knew all about John's terminator, how many soldiers believed Cameron was corrupting John. Then Jesse had found her, repeated these things, said that she was going to save John, to stop the machine. Riley was offered the opportunity of a lifetime, to travel back in time, away from the war, away from the machines and Skynet, to _paradise. _And all Riley had to do was get young John Connor to fall in love with her, and keep him from falling for Cameron.

It seemed simple, straight-forward enough. She'd never even considered the possibility that Jesse was misinformed, that maybe Cameron wasn't at all like she claimed, that Jesse was _lying_.

_But why not?_ Riley asked herself. Jesse had lied to her already. She'd lied about her plans, betrayed Riley's trust. Her plan had called for Riley's death. _What makes me think I can trust anything she says? _

She glanced back towards the door, knowing exactly what lay behind it. Jesse was waiting. With a gun and a knife. Cameron was walking into a trap. A trap that she, Riley, had been a part of setting. A sudden panic seized her.

This would destroy John. Completely and utterly. He needed Cameron like he needed to breathe. Much as she hated to even think it, she didn't want Cameron to die. She didn't want John to die. She didn't want to be a murderer.

But she couldn't take on Jesse by herself. And she was too afraid to try. That left only one option. Riley turned and started running for the main cabin.

She had to find John.

***********

Jesse crouched in the shadows, hidden behind the boxes in the warehouse, far enough away from the closet so as not to attract the machine's attention. She had to give Riley credit; the story she'd told Cameron was perfect.

Telling her that John was in trouble brought concern for his safety at the front of the cyborg's mind, making her a bit careless, not noticing or sensing the danger from Jesse. _Good…_Jesse thought.

Cameron's quick, urgent steps brought her face to face with the supply closet, and she reached out and grabbed the handle to yank the door off the hinges.

The handle that Jesse had wired into the electricity.

The shock threw the cyborg's body backwards and she landed on the ground, completely motionless. Jesse stalked forward and flipped open her switchblade. _One hundred twenty seconds. _At long last, this would all be over.

John Connor would be saved.

Derek would be saved.

The entire resistance would be saved from the machine that had tried to take over and destroy them from the inside. Jesse knelt down beside the metal with an evil glint in her eye. _One less of you to worry about. _

As she cut a circle down to the endoskeleton where the chip was, she imagined what John Connor would do when he realized that his precious little pet had been terminated. Would he think Riley was to blame? Would he go off the deep end? Would he kill her?

Not that it made a difference. Riley had served her purpose. If John Connor let her live, that was up to him. Jesse was done dealing with Riley. The 120 second count was almost up when Jesse finally pulled the chip from the Terminator's head. She glanced down into "Cameron's" lifeless eyes.

"You've lost," she hissed. "You'll never manipulate him again." Her only regret was that the metal would never actually hear those words, never know she'd failed.

All she had to do was find something to smash the chip with. She heard the door slowly creak open behind her and smiled. _Too late, John. Too late. _

Before she could turn and look, something hard slammed into the back of her head. Jesse dropped to the floor, blackness closing in. The chip was still clenched in her hands as she lost consciousness.

***********

John hurried back into the meeting hall, fully expecting Cameron's team to be there already. He'd known going into this event that Cameron would win. He couldn't compete with a Terminator, not even in a scavenger hunt.

He was surprised when he entered, finding the room filled with other campers, but no Cameron. Had he really beaten her? It seemed unlikely.

Wait… he squinted, peering across the room. Wasn't that Cameron's team? So where was Cameron? John felt a sinking feeling slowly settle in his gut. He ran forward, grabbing Jason Reynolds by the collar. "Where is she?" he demanded through gritted teeth.

Jason held up his hands defensively. "Step off, Baum!"

John didn't loosen his grip. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Jason looked perplexed.

"Cameron!"

"Oh. She split off from the group about five minutes ago," Jason replied. "I don't know where she went."

John's mind was whirling when he released his classmate. Jason backed away, muttering something about all the Baums being crazy.

Why had Cameron split? Had she seen something? Was another Triple 8 after Kyle? Riley slowly came over to his side, but he ignored her until he saw the distraught look on her face.

She knew something.

"What?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, John, I'm so sorry," Riley sputtered, finally breaking down. John stared at her in confusion. What had she done? What could she possibly have _done_?

Riley gazed up at him with pleading eyes. "I'm from the future."

John's eyes widened as shock settled in. He took an involuntary step backwards. _Riley_? From the future? "What?" he choked out. No… that wasn't possible. It was a trick, a joke. She wasn't serious…

"I was brought back to stop you from getting close to Cameron," Riley said, on the verge of hysterics. "I'm so sorry, John. I've lied to you…"

John wasn't listening to her apologies anymore, his mind spinning. How could this be happening? Cameron had been right all along: Riley _was_ lying about something. About _everything_. She'd never been his true friend; she'd used him for her own ends. The shock had dissolved into white hot anger. Anger at himself, at Riley, at the future, at the whole entire world. Who had sent her? Why did no one trust him to make his own decisions? His mother, Derek, Riley, his future self even. _It's my life!_ _Why can't they just leave me alone?! _

In fact, the only person who trusted him completely was the one person who had every right not to. Despite everything he'd done to her – lied to her, ran away from her, verbally abused her, abandoned her for Riley – despite everything she'd remained true to him, trusting in him.

She was everything to him. He couldn't trust anyone else, no one else believed in him or trusted him like she did. Not even his mother had faith in him anymore. It was ironic really.

The only person he could trust was the one no one else could.

_Cameron. _He felt a chill of fear. If Riley was the future, then Riley knew Cameron was a Terminator; she knew what could stop her. His eyes narrowed. "Where is she?"

Riley flinched. He wasn't sure if it was from the tone of his voice or just because she knew he wouldn't like the answer. Fear gripped him. What had she done to Cameron? Where was she?

"She's walked into a trap," Riley said, her voice heavy with guilt. "Set by me and Jesse, the soldier I came back with."

John felt his heart stop. A soldier from the future? One who knew how the machines worked? Knew about the chip? If this Jesse person had done anything to Cameron…_I'll kill her. I swear to God I'll kill her. _

"Where?" he demanded coldly.

"The warehouse--"

John didn't wait a second longer, sprinting faster than he ever had before, racing towards the warehouse, aware of Riley keeping pace behind him. He didn't even take the time to grab a weapon.

He didn't need one. He knew that. He hadn't needed anything but his bare hands when he killed Sarkissian. And he hadn't even been this angry.

Or scared.

But when he burst through the warehouse door, all the determined anger instantly faded into pure terror. A woman's motionless body - Jesse, he guessed - was lying on the ground a few feet away. And standing over Cameron's still form was Cromartie, a gun in one hand and her chip in the other.

"Riley," John breathed, his eyes widening with helpless shock. "What have you done?"

* * *


	19. My Turn

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**Chapter Nineteen:**

**My Turn**

John took in Cromartie's form with stunned eyes. When he'd first arrived at camp, his classmate Jessica Duncan had told him about a man who had come to school looking for him right after he'd left for the Canada trip. And right on the way home from that trip, they'd been attacked by a Terminator. He should have known it wasn't a coincidence. From the way she described the man who was searching for him, John had no doubt that it was Cromartie.

He'd believed her. He'd tried to convince his mother that Cromartie was still alive, but she hadn't believed him. Derek hadn't believed him.

But John Connor had known the truth. He had a feeling Cromartie would eventually find him.

And yet, it was completely different to actually see Cromartie standing right in front of him, holding Cameron's chip in one hand and a gun in the other.

Riley was still at his side, her eyes wide with equal shock. "He's…that guy who came to your door looking for Cameron."

"He's one of them," John said, swallowing hard. "Cromartie."

The machine met John's gaze, recognizing him instantly. Cromartie raised the gun and John quickly dove for cover behind the boxes in the warehouse, hearing the bullets hit the wooden crates. All the while, his heart was racing, thumping furiously. This was insane, completely insane. He suddenly felt stupid for not going for a weapon first.

His eyes darted to Jesse's unconscious body, spotting her gun lying on the ground. Riley followed his gaze, as if reading his thoughts, and suddenly lunged out from behind the cover. "Riley, no!" John hissed.

His warning saved her life. Cromartie's head snapped towards the sound of his target's voice, giving Riley the opportunity to snatch Jesse's gun and dive behind another crate.

John ducked and Riley tossed the gun over, proceeding to throw some items from a toolbox at Cromartie's head. Vastly ineffective, but it appeared to be providing at least some distraction for the cyborg. John stood up and took aim, his eyes locking on Cameron's chip.

_If that ever happens, destroy my chip. John, promise me._

_I can't. I promised to always bring you back._

_Please, John._

John's fingers tightened. He could hit it. Easily. Just like a bullseye in the shooting range. If that happened, Cromartie would never know what was on that chip, never know the Connor family secrets. If that happened, Cameron would be gone forever.

He pressed his lips tightly together, the gun wavering.

He may as well have been holding a gun to her head.

But he wouldn't be the one to pull the trigger.

The door banged open and suddenly Derek and Sarah darted in, guns at the ready. His mother's eyes widened in shock as she took in the sight of Cromartie. Derek recovered first, his eyes flashing from Jesse to Cameron to Cromartie to the chip in his hand, deducing the situation instantly. John saw his uncle's face harden with resolve and he raised his gun, taking aim at the chip.

"No!" John yelled, reacting instinctively. He brought up his own gun and shot at Derek, knocking the gun from his uncle's hand before Derek could fire. Derek's face exploded into shock and he turned to see where the attack had come from. At seeing John's frenzied face, his mouth dropped open in betrayal and he scrambled for his gun again.

"Don't!" John shouted, charging forward and knocking his uncle to the ground. "Don't you dare!" He pressed the gun to Derek's head, eyes burning. "I'll shoot, I swear I'll shoot!"

"John!" Sarah cried. John looked up to see his mother drop her grenade launcher, rushing over to his side, with Riley at her heels. John desperately looked up, searching the warehouse. Cromartie had obviously not wanted to mess around with Sarah and her heavily artillery. He was gone, escaped. Not that it mattered. Either way, Cromartie would win. He had Cameron's chip.

Despair set in and John dropped the gun, sliding to the floor with a moan. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't let her die like this. Derek's eyes were blazing as he rose to his feet and started yelling at both John and Sarah, no doubt ticked off that John had shot at him.

John tuned him out, eyes trailing to Cameron's still form that lay on the warehouse floor. Without that chip, she was dead. He put his face in his hands.

But there was still a chance.

Cromartie wouldn't destroy the chip until he had a chance to get the data from it. They still had time. Time that was slowly ticking away.

"We have to go after him," he demanded.

"John, we can't," Sarah said calmly. "It's too dangerous."

"He's got her chip," John breathed, his throat constricting as tears threatened to fall. "He's got _her._"

"I know."

John's lip curled. "No, you don't! I know you don't care about her personally, but do you know what that chip contains? She knows everything! She's seen the list, the targets; she knows our safehouses, who we are, how we run. I told her everything!"

"I know…"

"I have to save her," he insisted vehemently.

Sarah shook her head. "We can't."

Derek still seemed angry, but even his uncle's resolve seemed to be fading. "Your mother's right, John. It's too dangerous. I've got some thermite in the truck. We'll just burn the body…"

John's eyes widened in rage. "Don't you _touch _her!" he snapped. He spun back to his mother. "Are you happy now? By doing this, you've just killed at least three people."

Sarah pressed her lips together. "Three?"

"Cameron. Me. And Kyle."

Hearing the name stunned her, he could see it. "What?" she choked.

"She knows he's my father," John insisted. "Soon Cromartie will too. He'll find him and kill him. Don't you see? By killing her, you kill Kyle. You kill me."

Sarah looked away, seemingly fighting tears.

John shifted his gaze over to Riley, who seemed to be struggling with emotions of intense guilt and sorrow. She looked up and met his eyes.

"I'm sorry, John," she said.

John glared at her. "You should be. This was all your fault."

He saw a tear run down Riley's hurt face but he didn't care. Everyone was upset about something. But no one was hurting as much as John Connor.

He turned and walked over to where Cameron's body still lay. His worst nightmare had come true. He was going to lose her. He felt the tears start running down his face. _I'm sorry, Cameron. I'm so sorry. _

He reached down and stroked her face, her hair. Maybe this was a dream… another nightmare. _This can't be happening to me._

He felt helpless, hopeless. He heard the retreating footsteps of his mother and Derek, both still arguing softly about what to do now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Riley approach him hesitantly but he deliberately ignored her. Riley was the reason why Cameron was gone, dead in a sense. If he were relating it to humans, he'd say she was in a coma and the only medicine that could cure her was halfway around the world in a dangerous jungle. No one else was willing to sacrifice their lives to find it.

So would he?

The list of those who had died in his name, had died _for _him, was long. Martin Bedell, Allison Young, Kyle Reese…He wasn't going to let her name be added to that growing list. He wasn't going to let her die for him too.

She'd been willing, willing to sacrifice herself for him. She'd been there for him ever since the beginning. She'd been there for him even when he'd pushed her away, sought company he thought was better. She'd been there for the good and bad, never leaving, never wavering. Always ready and willing to die for him at a moment's notice. She'd saved his life. She always saved his life. She was his best friend, his only true friend.

And he loved her.

He bent down closer, tears flowing down his face as he stroked her hair softly. "You've always taken care of me, Cameron," he whispered. "Now it's my turn."

He stood up abruptly, meeting Riley's eyes. "I'm going to get that chip back."

"I'll go with you," Riley offered softly.

John scowled as he brushed past her and grabbed his jacket and gun. "No. You've done enough damage."

Riley's face fell. "John, please…I…I'm so sorry. I should never have gone along with Jesse's plan. I see that now."

"Little late for that," John retorted darkly. "You may has well have killed her. You and your friend Jesse."

Riley looked away. "She's not my friend. She's made that perfectly clear."

John glanced up, some of his anger dissolving. "She's the one who hit you, not your foster dad." Riley didn't answer, and that was confirmation enough for John. He gritted his teeth. He understood being a hardcore soldier, someone who had their whole life ripped apart, but he couldn't understand how this rogue fighter could condone physically abusing Riley in order to demand cooperation. Not just any warrior, a resistance fighter, one of _his _soldiers.

_Maybe I'm not as good a leader as they think I am._

"John," Riley pleaded. "Please let me help you. Let me help Cameron. Let me make it up to you both."

"I don't know if you can."

"Let me try, please, John," Riley begged. John stared at her, seeing the genuine emotion on her face. She wasn't lying. She truly felt horrible about the situation. She'd been manipulated by this Jesse person, and now she honestly wanted forgiveness, redemption. A second chance.

"I know where he is," Riley spoke up.

"What?"

"Cromartie," she replied. "You're John Connor, his target, his whole purpose in life is to hunt and kill you. He knows you're here at the camp. He won't leave while you're right under his fingertips."

John put his head in his hands. "He's laid a trap." _Of course he would. _It was just like Cromartie to do that.

"He knows you'll come for Cameron's chip. It doesn't take a genius to decipher what's between you too. He may not be human, but he's programmed to understand that much. Jesse and I found a small building hidden in the woods. It had a bunch of computers and transmitting equipment inside. I think it's his temporary base."

"Did you destroy it?"

"No. We thought it might be yours."

John bit his lip. No, it definitely wasn't anything his mother or Derek had set up. "That's where he is. That's where Cameron is."

"You're walking into a trap."

John clenched his jaw. "I'm going anyway."

"I'm not trying to stop you. But would Cameron want you to risk your life to save her?"

John didn't want to think about the answer to that. He knew exactly what it was. He also knew he couldn't abide by it. Everything hinged on getting back her chip. Everything hinged on both of them surviving the upcoming confrontation with Cromartie. They were connected in that way. If he were killed and she saved, he knew exactly what would happen. She'd get Derek or Sarah to destroy her. Or she'd find a way to self-terminate, despite her programming.

Just like he would if Cromartie crushed her chip before he could get it back.

_Guess we really are like Romeo and Juliet. I just hope we have a happier ending. _

**********

Derek Reese sat motionless in the middle of the warehouse, a dozen conflicting thoughts running through his head. None of them seemed to make any sense.

Sarah was right: going after Cromartie right now was a suicide mission. He'd be waiting for them, no doubt with an ambush. And without Cameron, they had no protection, no upper hand.

But... John was right also. If Cromartie got the information from Cameron's chip... if he sent that to Skynet, they'd all be compromised. Skynet would know everything. They'd know about Kyle. _I can't let my brother die again._

And...was Jesse right? Right to take matters into her own hands like this? Right to force Riley into it, risking the life of a young innocent girl? Did she have the right to go against John Connor, even if he was making questionable decisions in the future? And were they really questionable? Was Cameron really corrupting him? Or was this whole situation just horribly misunderstood?

Back in the forest, Cameron had saved his life… because it was sacred. Worth saving. She could have easily let him die and no one would have blamed her. John would have accepted anything, and Cameron could simply have said she couldn't leave John's side. Even Sarah wouldn't have doubted that. But she _had_ left John's side. She'd come to his rescue. Not because John had ordered her to, but because she felt it was the right thing to do. It wasn't how she was supposed to act. It wasn't how a machine was supposed to act. It had proved to him that John was right: Cameron was different. Different… but still one of them. So why did it feel like a betrayal to leave her to die at Cromartie's hands if he could help save her? Like she helped save him?

He stood up quickly, almost involuntarily. No. She wasn't going out like this. He'd make sure of it. John still needed her, they all still needed her. And besides, he needed to help John.

He knew his nephew well enough to know he'd be gone within the hour, effortlessly searching for her, despite his mother's order. When John Connor believed in something enough to defy his mother and risk his own life, it was important.

So Derek Reese believed in it too.

********

John ducked around the corner outside Cromartie's hidden base camp, careful not to crunch any twigs. Riley was right behind him, having led him here. And he had no doubt Cromartie was inside. Maybe he was trying to access Cameron's chip right now.

As soon as he turned the corner, he nearly ran directly into Derek and his mother, who were both heavily armed. His mouth dropped open in shock. "Derek! Mom!" he hissed. "What are you doing here?" Had they really come to help Cameron? Had he gotten through to them?

Sarah was still guarded in her response. "I'm here to keep you from getting yourself killed."

He had suspected as much. They weren't here to help Cameron; they were here to protect him. Always to protect. He blew out a breath, frustrated both with them and himself. They still couldn't accept his decisions; he still couldn't convince them.

As Sarah slipped into the building to take her position, John felt Derek lay a hand on his shoulder. It was strong, yet caring at the same time. John looked up, surprised to see absolute determination in his uncle's eyes.

"We're going to get her back, John. I promise."

He didn't say anything else, merely walked in to join Sarah, but John stared after him with wonderment. Derek had meant it that time. In those few words, he had relayed so much. John didn't know if it had something to do with Cameron saving Derek's life earlier, but his uncle seemed adamant on completing this mission.

Maybe Derek was ready to trust again.

Maybe Derek was ready to fight.

*************

John hid behind a stack of computer boxes, trying to see Cromartie, feeling a bizarre sense of dejavu. It had been like this is his nightmare. Him hiding in the shadows while Cromartie held Cameron's chip.

"John Connor," Cromartie stated in his familiar monotone. "I've been waiting for you."

John had a sudden urge to leap out and start shooting, but he reined it in. If he was going to get Cameron's chip back, he needed to be smart. He also needed to trust. Everyone one else was in position, at the ready. Riley was at his side and he could feel her quivering both with fear and determination. Derek and Sarah were across from him, trying to work their way behind Cromartie, guns ready, waiting for his order.

But it was Cromartie who moved first. The Terminator set Cameron's chip down on a table and backed away a few meters, as if daring John to come out and retrieve it.

"John Connor!" Cromartie called. "If you don't come out, I'll destroy her." The Triple 8 pulled out a gun and aimed it at Cameron's chip.

John's fingers tightened on the edge of the box he was hiding behind and he almost couldn't breathe. It was exactly what had happened in his horrible nightmare. He couldn't move, couldn't decide. If he showed himself, Cromartie would shoot him. If he didn't, Cromartie would shoot Cameron.

He'd die either way.

He inadvertently locked eyes with his mother and saw horror form on her face. She could read in his expression what he was thinking, what he'd already unconsciously decided. John moved for the chip, darting out from behind his cover. He heard some shots ring out from Derek and Sarah on the other side, catching Cromartie's attention as the heavy slugs from Derek's sniper rifle ripped into the machine's face. The Terminator turned to face the threat, firing in their direction.

John grabbed the chip and spun to run back under cover. At that point, Cromartie whirled around with his pistol and John heard the shot ring out.

Time seemed to slow down and John knew instantly he was dead… Cromartie's shot would fly true…

Suddenly Riley was in front of him, the bullet meant for him ripping into her shoulder. His eyes widened in horror.

"_Riley_!"

She cried out and he caught her as she fell, dragging her backwards behind the cover of the crates. John desperately pressed his hand to the wound, trying to slow the bleeding.

Across the room, Sarah cursed their misfortunate and spun her head to regard Derek. "Tell me you brought them this time."

Despite the situation, Derek grinned and pulled a few grenades out of his bag. He hurled one at Cromartie's feet, the explosion blowing the Terminator backwards and sending him crashing into the wall.

Sarah continued to lay down the covering fire, shouting at John. "Go get Cameron!"

John's anxious eyes flashed from his mother to Riley, who was clutching her shoulder, hissing through her teeth from the pain. He felt so helpless.

"Go, John," Riley groaned. "Go get her."

John hesitated. How could he leave her like this? Injured, maybe dying…all because of him? Riley grasped his arm tightly, eyes burning with grave intensity.

"Go get her… or we're all dead…"

John stood up, sending one last frightened look at his mother.

"Run, John!" she screamed.

And John Connor ran. Out the door of Cromartie's base and into the woods, tearing through the forest back towards camp at a breakneck pace. And all the while, he was positively terrified. Still terrified from being so close to losing Cameron, terrified that Riley would die from the shot meant for him, one more person to add to his mental tally of those who were killed in his name.

He clutched Cameron's chip tightly. He may have gotten it back, but they weren't out of this yet.

He ran faster than he ever had before.

* * *


	20. E tu' Brute?

**Chapter Twenty:**

**E tu' Brute?**

John burst into the warehouse spotting Cameron's motionless body still sitting on the floor. Jesse was still out cold when he scrambled to Cameron's side, carefully pulling back the skin of her head, revealing the empty port. He slowly and carefully replaced the chip, silently counting down the reactivation time.

Those fifteen seconds seemed to drag forever. A small part of him feared she still wouldn't get up, that somehow he was too late, that maybe Cromartie had done something to the chip…

Her eyes opened slowly, staring up at him. "John. You're safe."

He let out a breath, eyes closing in relief, and at the same time laughing at the absurdity of her words. He couldn't believe it. Here she'd just been electrocuted, rebooted, chip removed, and she was concerned about _his_ safety.

It only served to remind him how much she truly loved him.

"Alright," he whispered. "We need your help."

"We?"

"Derek and Sarah are holding off Cromartie, but there's not much time," he explained hurriedly. "We've got to get back there."

Cameron was on her feet instantly, and John ran for the door, praying they wouldn't be too late.

**********

_Pain._

That was all she could feel. Vaguely, Riley was aware of the gunshots, the explosions, the grenades going off. She struggled to stay conscious, to keep her mind off the awful pain. It was bleeding _a lot, _but she didn't think the bullet had hit anything critical. It had hit near her shoulder, well above her heart.

But there was an ache there in her heart as well.

She could barely remember what had happened. John was there, running towards her, Cameron's chip clutched in his hands, his eyes wide with terror. She'd seen Cromartie turn, bringing the gun around and, like she was in slow motion, Riley had sprang forward, placing herself between John Connor and the bullet that would have destroyed the world forever.

She'd been the hero.

She'd saved John Connor.

She just didn't expect it to _hurt _this much. John had caught her, screaming her name, his eyes tortured. He'd dragged her back to safety, trying to slow the bleeding. She wanted to speak, to tell him once again how sorry she was for everything. More than anything she wanted him to know she still cared about him, loved him… more like a brother, but she still loved him.

She'd urged him to leave, to go find Cameron. Because Cameron was the only one who could save them all. Cameron was a hero too. And Riley was just figuring that out.

She only hoped she'd still be conscious when they returned.

**********

Cameron burst through the door ahead of John and ordered him to get under cover, instantly taking a few shots from Cromartie's rifle. John scrambled to Riley's side, checking her wound.

_Thank God the bleeding seems to have stopped. _He glanced up around the room. The entire back half had been blown apart, bullet holes were in everything. Cromartie's body was burnt and pierced, but he was still standing strong.

John met Derek's eyes and his uncle forced a smile. "About time! I just ran out of grenades!"

Cameron strode forward, knocking Cromartie's gun out of his hand with a swift kick before grabbing him and hurling him into the wall. John realized that some of Derek's grenades seemed to have limited the Triple 8's functionality. He took longer than usual getting to his feet, was slower in reacting to Cameron, some of his movements stiff.

Cameron reached into her pocket and pulled out a small silver object. From his hiding place, John couldn't make out what it was but Cameron jammed her hand into Cromartie's mouth.

It came out without the silver object.

She spun her head around toward John. "John! Do it! Push the button!"

John's eyes widened in recognition and he reached under his shirt where the pocket watch kill-necklace still hung around his neck. Even after Cameron had removed the explosive, he hadn't taken it off.

And obviously, Cameron had kept the explosive on her person anyhow. John opened the watch, revealing the small red button.

"John, now!" Cameron cried. She backed away from Cromartie, who was trying to get the miniature bomb out of his mouth. Cameron had wedged it in good.

And John Connor did something he never imagined he would do. He stared down at the necklace and pressed the button.

**********

John Connor stood among the wreckage, his hand still clutching the button, his mind still racing even though it was all over.

The explosion had been small, contained, but it had blown Cromartie's head to bits. _It's a small amount, but it's enough. _Even after the smoke cleared, Cameron had picked her way through the debris to his body and made sure the chip was decimated.

They'd won.

Both Sarah and Cameron had helped bandage Riley's wound while John and Derek had burned Cromartie's body and tried to wipe any evidence of the Connors away before any police showed up.

But they still had one loose end to tie up.

As they returned to the warehouse where a mere hour ago Cameron had been rendered motionless on the floor, John could feel the anger start rising again. They still had to deal with Jesse, the soldier who was responsible for everything that had just happened.

The one who could have killed them all.

He stood over Jesse's unconscious body, glancing at his companions. Derek's face was an unreadable mask; Riley's was still tinted with a grimace of pain; Sarah was impassive, but he knew she was secretly enraged.

Even Cameron's normally expressionless face seemed to hold a hint of hatred.

John was struggling hard to contain his fury as Jesse's eyes finally fluttered open. They locked on Derek with a weak smile. "We did it, Derek. It's done."

John took an involuntary step backwards, mouth dropping open in shock. "You?" he demanded of his uncle. "You were part of this? Then why did you help Cameron?"

Derek looked utterly dejected. "John, please…I'll explain later."

But John Connor was beyond listening. It was one thing for a soldier like Jesse to not trust him with his own life, but for Derek - his own uncle - to betray him like this, just when he thought he and Cameron were starting to get along… "She saved your life! And you try to kill her!"

Jesse's eyes widened at his words. "Try? You mean…"

John stepped to the side, revealing Cameron standing behind him, her face stoic as she stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with John. Jesse's face twisted into a mix of revulsion, fear, and anger.

He almost laughed. She had _no _right to feel angry or disgusted, not after the awful act of betrayal she'd committed. He glared down at her, his jaw clenched with hate. "Why did you do it?"

"You were too close to the machine," Jesse explained. "I was sent to stop her."

_Sent. _John scoffed. "No. You weren't sent. You just came."

Jesse's face betrayed nothing. "How do you know? How do you know _you _didn't send me, Connor?"

His lip curled. _Don't play games with me. _"I have an informer. I believe you know her."

Jesse looked around the room, eyes locking on Riley. "Riley," she growled.

Riley's face was strained, though that could have been from the gunshot wound. "I told you I was done."

Jesse's furious eyes snapped back to John. "You don't understand. She's not human, Connor! She doesn't have a soul. She doesn't have a heart!"

John kept his eyes calm. "I could say the same about you."

"She's right, John," Cameron spoke up softy. "I don't have a heart."

John tore his eyes away from Jesse and looked at Cameron, his gaze softening as he did. "Yes, you do. It may not beat and it may not look the same, but it's there. You feel, you told me that. It means you have a heart. Tin Miss, remember?" He grinned despite the situation. "You've always had a heart."

Cameron smiled and Jesse looked disgusted. "Listen to yourself. I did what I did to protect you!"

John chuckled humorlessly. "That's where you're wrong. You didn't do this for me. You don't get it do you? If you'd succeeded in killing Cameron, you'd be killing me as well. I need her. She saves my life."

Jesse shook her head, looking over at Sarah. "How does your dear mother feel about the metal in your life? Will she side with you, too?"

John turned to his mother, the hope in his eyes deflating as he did. He already knew where his mother stood. He knew exactly what her answer would be: _I don't trust you, John, and I certainly don't trust her. _

He dreaded hearing them again, sure they would bring back a fresh jolt of pain. If they kept this up…they'd never be able to mend their broken relationship. But instead of answering immediately, Sarah seemed torn, eyes dancing from John to Cameron to Jesse and back to John.

A new thought suddenly struck him. Could his mother seriously have changed her mind? He didn't dare hope.

Sarah lowered her eyes. "John trusts Cameron. And I can't believe I'm saying this…but so do I. I trust John."

He met her eyes, feeling the tears stinging in his own. He was stunned into silence, not realizing how long he'd waited for her to say those words. He'd needed that, the knowledge that she believed in him once more, her assurance, her acceptance.

"I trust you, John," Sarah repeated, swallowing a lump in her throat and giving him a tender smile.

Riley took a step forward, planting herself in front of Jesse. "Me too."

John watched Jesse's face harden in a rage. "You forget your place."

"It's right here," Riley said strongly. "Between you and Cameron."

John could feel his heart soar. Seeing Riley stand up for Cameron meant everything to him. After all they'd put each other through, he couldn't have imagined it going down like this. None of them were normal, he least of all. But maybe, just maybe, they could still all be friends.

He glared down at the soldier at his feet. "You don't understand, Jesse. Maybe you can live your life alone, but I can't. I _need_ my friends. You've betrayed your purpose, your mission. You've become a threat to this family." He leaned down and as he did, the murder faded from his eyes. "But I'm not gonna kill you."

"She knows who we are," Cameron stated. "She's still a threat."

John shook his head. Yes, it was a risk, he knew that. "We're not murderers." His eyes lingered on Cameron. "None of us."

Jesse slowly rose to her feet and John felt Riley tense beside him, ready to defend both him and Cameron if Jesse were to try something.

But the soldier apparently wasn't that stupid. Instead, she just stared at him. "Answer me this. What would you have done? If I hadn't failed. If the machine had murdered Riley or if I could have convinced you that she did."

"Would I have sent her away? Would I have killed her?" John shook his head firmly. "No."

"That's a shame."

John pressed his lips tightly together before giving the order out loud. "Let her go."

He didn't wait to see if Jesse would leave immediately. Instead, he turned to the door, but felt a hand on his arm. He turned around to see his mother standing in front of him, her lips pressed together tightly, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She didn't say anything, simply pulled him into a hug. He could feel his eyes burning and he held on tight. He still couldn't believe she'd decided to have faith in him.

"Thank you," he whispered.

He felt her shake her head slowly. "I'm sorry, John. I'm sorry I doubted you." He could feel her sobbing as she continued, "I do trust you. I've always believed in you…"

He finally pulled back and smiled through his tears. "Let's go, Mom." He turned and opened the door, aware of everybody following him.

Everyone but Derek.

************

Derek couldn't understand how things had gotten so out of hand. He'd entered this entire thing with Jesse because he thought he was helping John. He thought Riley was being used to distance his nephew from the cyborg. He hadn't realized the drastic measures Jesse was ready to take in pursuit of her goal, however twisted it was.

Now, staring down at his girlfriend, Derek felt an overwhelming sense of pain and sorrow. She wasn't the person he'd thought she was.

Jesse was regarding him with a calm expression. "So, Derek. What are you going to do? Side with them? With the metal?"

Derek's jaw tightened. "It's one thing for you to be AWOL, Jesse. It's another to betray John Connor."

Jesse seemed to take offense at that. "I was trying to save him."

"You could have killed him," Derek said firmly. What if John had perished trying to save Cameron? What if Riley hadn't been able to get to him in time? "If John Connor dies, then we all die."

Jesse's face flushed angrily. "You helped me, remember?"

"I didn't understand the whole story. And neither do you. John Connor isn't being corrupted by Cameron; he's the one changing her, not the other way around. Cameron is an essential part of the Connor team. She's saved his life countless times. Heck, she's saved _my _life."

Jesse snorted in disgust. "There you go again. _She _saved your life. _Cameron. _Derek, you don't understand. You don't know what it's like."

No, he remembered. He remembered Cameron in the future, how John had given her free reign of the place. He hadn't known their connection then, but still...

"You're from a different future," Jesse added angrily.

Derek lowered his eyes. "Not that different." _Just different perceptions._

Jesse laughed dryly. "I don't believe this…"

"I don't either," Derek agreed. "I don't understand how you could do this." He winced and averted his gaze. "I don't even know you. I don't know who you are."

Jesse's brow furrowed and her eyes widened with grief and pain. "I'm Jesse!"

"You're not my Jesse."

His Jesse wouldn't have betrayed John Connor. His Jesse wouldn't have committed treason, wouldn't have gone AWOL, wouldn't have been willing to sacrifice the life of an innocent girl to win her fight. His Jesse would never have forced him to choose between her and John, wouldn't have forced him away from his nephew.

Even now, his Jesse wouldn't still be fighting, arguing her misguided point. "You can't seriously be siding with…with_ her!_"

Derek's eyes hardened. "No. I'm siding with John Connor. I trust John Connor. And if he trusts Cameron… then that's good enough for me."

Jesse shook her head, fighting emotions of anger and grief. But as she looked up at him, her eyes softened. "So what are you going to do?"

Derek hesitated, eyes closing before he pulled out his gun. "What I have to."

Jesse's eyes were steely, but he knew her well enough to distinguish the flash of fear beneath them. "Derek, don't," she begged. "Do you remember when I asked if there's any future where we're not together? You said no."

His face twisted. "I guess I was wrong."

There was no trying to be strong now. Jesse's hurt gaze held his with an urgency. "Derek, please. You don't want to do this. You can't do this. John Connor said to let me go!"

He felt his face crumbling, could feel the tears coming from the pain of what he was about to do. "I'm not John Connor." He lifted the gun, saw the shock and fear on her face. "I'm sorry, Jesse. I'm so sorry…"

And for a brief moment, he saw straight into her eyes, her soul…and she was _his _Jesse again, the Jesse he loved, the kind hearted fighter he had fallen for so many years ago.

Derek Reese pulled the trigger.

And his heart shattered.

* * *

_author's note: Well, only one chapter to go and all the loose ends will be tied up. I really hope you guys are enjoying it. :)_


	21. Epilogue: Take Back the Future

_Author's notes: Thank you for everyone who reviewed! For those of you who asked about a sequel (another one), __I hadn't really thought about doing anymore after this. I was going to leave it as a trilogy, but if anyone has any ideas for continuation, I'd love to hear them. _

_uncommoner - Honestly, I don't think Derek would have let her go. He'd already established that she wasn't the Jesse he knew and she would most likely not stop in her mission. So, it definitely would have broke his heart, but I believe he did it, especially when we saw his reaction to when John asked him "did you kill her." And yes, I actually do have a lot of Irish in my ancestry. :)_

_clearfanfic - Oops. It's "Es tu brute?" I've always heard the other way, but maybe I should have looked it up first. Thanks for pointing that out. :)_

* * *

**Epilogue:**

**Take Back the Future**

Riley stood quietly off to the side, trying not to think about the dull throbbing pain in her shoulder that just wouldn't go away. Cameron was standing a few yards away, watching her. Not staring in that vaguely threatening way as she usually did. This time, she was just… watching. And then finally, she spoke up.

"Thank you."

Riley couldn't understand the behavior. "What for?" she grumbled. "Seems all I've done is get in the way. With you and John, I mean."

"You saved John's life."

Riley shrugged, sending pain shooting through her shoulder again. "It was nothing really." Hurt like crap, though.

"It's not nothing. It's John," Cameron replied simply.

Riley looked away. _Yes, John_. She should feel like a hero. She'd saved the life of the one who saves the world. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cameron reach into her backpack and pull out a nine-millimeter.

Riley felt a brief flash of fear, but Cameron didn't point the gun at her. _I guess old habits die hard. _

Instead, Cameron held the gun out, handle towards Riley. "If you're going to join us, you'll be needing this."

Riley could see her hand shaking as she reached out and took the weapon, feeling a strange sense of fear and nausea. Cameron was right, if she stayed with the Connors, she'd be in the war actively, not scrounging around in the tunnels like she had in the future, but fighting to make a difference.

In a way, it was the greatest gift Cameron could have given her. By handing her the weapon, she was stating that Riley was welcome to join the Connor clan, to have someplace to be, someplace to belong. She wouldn't have to run. She could still have a normal - well, partially normal - life with the Connors.

She could help them fight to stop Judgment Day. And maybe…just maybe…together they would win. Carrots and apples forever.

Riley glanced over at Cameron. "I've always known, you know. Not just about the future and that you're a cyborg…I've always known you loved him. I told you that in Canada. No matter how weird or impossible it seems. But I guess love doesn't always make sense, does it?" She smiled, glancing down at Cameron's gift. "I'm…I'm just glad he has someone to be with…when the end comes. So…" Riley offered her hand. "Friends?"

Cameron took it with a smile. Riley was surprised as how easily human it was, both the smile and the hand that grasped Riley's in a firm, yet gentle handshake.

"Yes. Friends," Cameron agreed.

Riley smiled. And for the first time since she'd been around Cameron, it was genuine. "Awesome. I'll buy you a smoothie."

"Peachy Keen is my favorite."

***********

John had heard the shot that ended Jesse's life. He knew he should have seen it coming; he just hadn't expected Derek would take such extreme measures. It wasn't as if John felt sorry for Jesse. He hadn't known her well. In fact, he'd hated her. But he hadn't wanted anyone else to die for him.

His uncle exited the room and dropped the gun on the ground, looking utterly heartbroken. John could tell from Derek's red eyes that his normally hard-as-nails uncle had been crying.

"You killed her," John mumbled bitterly.

Derek lowered his gaze. "John Connor let her go."

John got the message. He shouldn't feel responsible for her death. _He _had granted her freedom, life. In those five words, Derek had removed the blame from John's shoulders.

But it still didn't help the pain. In his heart, he knew it was his fault. If it wasn't for him, she'd be alive. Even now, people kept dying for him…

"You didn't have to kill her," he muttered.

"Someone had to," Derek said quietly.

"I know what she meant to you," John stated in a dull tone. "You didn't have to do it."

_I should have done it, _he thought bitterly_. _Derek shouldn't have been forced to kill the woman he loved. No matter what she'd done.

"Well, I couldn't let you do it," Derek said quietly. "You're the only one of us who's still pure at heart, John."

John felt a pang of regret. "No, I'm not."

Even beneath the pain and hurt, he saw a flash of confusion cross Derek's face. "What?"

John took a shaky breath. "Mom didn't kill Sarkissian, Derek. I did."

"You?" Derek's eyes were wide as he stuttered to respond. "But…That was self-defense John. It's not your fault."

John laughed dryly. "Does it make a difference? He's still dead because of me. And there are those who die _for_ me, either to save me - like Bedell - or to keep a secret to protect me - like Allison. I didn't want anyone else to die for me. You didn't have to kill her."

Derek looked away. "Yeah, I did. She was… making me doubt you. Making me doubt my – our - mission." Derek's face seemed to crumble. "I'm sorry, John. I'm sorry for siding with her. I'm sorry for trying to kill Cameron. I…I realize now that you were right. She is different."

John frowned at that. It was completely opposite Derek's usual attitude. "What changed your mind?"

"She saved my life," Derek replied. "Not because she was ordered to or obligated to in any way. It would have been _better _for her if I was out of the way. But she saved me anyway, because she said my life is sacred, because everyone's life matters. She learned that from you."

John smiled softly. "She learned it from all of us. Love. Both you and my mother have been resenting me for having her around. Neither of you trusted me anymore. But that didn't stop you from loving or trying to protect me. She sees that, learns that. And maybe we can learn something from her too."

Derek still seemed a tiny bit skeptical at that. "Like what?"

"Well, she can cook more than just pancakes."

"I heard that."

John looked up to see his mother standing a few feet away, her arms crossed and a playful grin on her face. He heard Derek start to chuckle softly and that genuine smile on his mother's face brought a warm feeling into his heart.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Sarah stepped over to him and he could see the tears brimming in her eyes as she smiled. She didn't say anything, simply pulled him into a tight hug. And he realized that it was the first time she'd truly hugged him in… too long.

He tightened his grip, relishing the moment. And he smiled. Because he realized what was happening. After months and months of breaking apart and mistrusting each other, it was finally happening.

They were becoming a family again.

*************

John felt the wind blow through his hair as the sun began to rise over the horizon. They'd spent the entire night packing up the supply drop in the woods and destroying all the evidence of the skirmish with Cromartie, just in case anyone would come this deep into the forest to investigate Cromartie's safehouse. Cameron and Riley approached and he noticed Riley hung back at first, clutching her bandaged shoulder with one hand and holding a smoothie in another.

Cameron set two smoothies on the ground and sat down next to John, eyes searching his worriedly. "Are you okay?"

John smiled softly. "I'll be fine. Really."

Riley finally came forward to sit on John's other side, having given him and Cameron a moment alone. "We brought you a smoothie."

Cameron held out the berry drink, which he took gratefully. "You guys are on speaking terms now?"

Riley grinned. "Yeah… I guess I earned her respect. Sorry for the whole camp mess."

John shook his head. "It's not your fault. You were being manipulated. Could have happened to anyone."

Everyone was silent for a while, sipping on their smoothies. John noticed that both Cameron and Riley were drinking Peachy Keen. He smiled. _Huh. They have something in common. What do you know?_

"So what do we do now?" Riley asked.

"Start over," John replied. "We're gonna have to move. There's too many witnesses, too many questions here. Someone will be investigating what happened here tonight. Little Kyle Reese will certainly have a story to tell. It's time we move on. Not everyone will buy that skunk story."

Riley grinned. "For the record, I didn't buy it either."

"I didn't think so," John said with a smile.

"Where are we moving to?" Riley questioned.

"I suggested Canada," Cameron piped up.

"I don't really know," John replied. "But it doesn't really matter, does it? Because we'll keep doing what we do. We'll keep fighting." He reached over and took Cameron's hand. She smiled and for a moment, just a moment, they were normal, everything was _right. _

He knew better than to think that it would last. It had been drilled into him all his life, by his mother, by Derek, by Cameron: There is no fate but that which we make. Never stop fighting.

_And I never will, _he thought strongly.

He looked up at Cameron, at Riley. At his mother and Derek standing in the back, looking at the beautiful rising sun. They'd just come out of the darkness, the disasters. Yes, Judgment Day was still coming. But as the darkness was retreating, dawn was breaking, the sun was a bright beacon of hope, hope for the future, _their _future.

John stared up into it. "The battle has only just begun."

* * *

_author's note: Well, that's the end of the story. :( I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed. I hope you have all enjoyed it and I'd love to know what you think! _


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